Mending Cracks
by Timeline15
Summary: After the battle which changed their destinies forever, a Sapphire and a Rose Quartz try to put their lives, and their relationship, back on track. Facet 31 may be gone, but the scars it left still linger. Can Steven and the Crystal Gems help their new friends adjust to this unfamiliar reality? (Sequel to 'Missing Peace')
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The night sky overhead was filled with stars. On the surface, the tiny points of flickering white light didn't look all that impressive, but to Sapphire, they were a source of great comfort. You couldn't see the stars from Homeworld; the planet's glowing megacities gave off so much light pollution that the sky never got darker than a violet twilight. On Earth though, the nights sometimes got dark enough that one could make out hundreds of the tiny white pinpricks. Sapphire came up to the same spot every night; the peak of the cliff into which the Crystal Gems had built their temple, to gaze out at the universe and think. It wasn't just a means of unwinding; it also helped her keep track of time. On Homeworld, one day blended into the next without any indication; with electronic chronometers being the only way of accurately gauging the passage of the hours. But on Earth, Sapphire's future vision allowed her to watch the stars' transit across the sky on demand, and she could then watch it again in real-time, confident of the fact that it would happen exactly as she had foreseen. She valued that part most of all. This planet was so changeable and unpredictable that it threatened to blind her at every turn, as the gem she had in place of an eye left her entirely reliant on her future vision. But the stars didn't change, at least not moment-to-moment. Their passage couldn't be altered by a change in the weather, or by someone running up to greet you unexpectedly. In a sea of what seemed to her like chaos, Sapphire lived for such predictability.

She knew that the Crystal Gems' own Sapphire, or rather, the fusion she inhabited on a constant basis, would probably tell her to embrace Earth's surprises, but that was easier said than done. The fusion didn't have to worry about going blind if her future vision failed her, and had a Ruby's muscle to fall back on if she got into trouble. Sapphire's situation was different. When she found herself caught by surprise, she felt alone, and scared; completely frozen. There was a time when she had felt like she had someone to turn to in those times; someone who would keep her safe no matter what lay ahead, but those times were over now. It had only been a couple of weeks since she had fought alongside that Gem, and hundreds of others, to try to destroy the very planet on which she now sat. In their anger and sadness, they had pinned all of their pain on this one blue-green orb of mud and water, and lashed out at it in the only way they knew how. But they had lost. Facet 31 was no more. The Crystal Gems and the Diamonds had been too much to overcome, and, in a moment of indecision, Sapphire had begun to question whether Facet 31's plan would even create the future she had been seeking. She had thought that if she brought her concerns to her friend; to Rose Quartz, that things might change, but they didn't. Rose had lashed out and poofed Sapphire for daring to come between her and her target.

The next thing Sapphire had known, she was waking up in the warm, soft surroundings of the Crystal Gems' base, having been taken back to Earth before she could reform. The Crystal Gems and their bizarre hybrid, Steven, had done their best to calm her down, but the moment she had learnt that Rose was also standing in the next room waiting for a chance to speak to her; Sapphire had bolted from the house. Stumbling almost blindly across the beach, she hadn't managed to get far before the fusion, Garnet, had tracked her down. It had taken a lengthy discussion with the fusion to finally calm Sapphire down, and explain to her all that had happened in the couple of days it had taken her to reform. She hadn't been sure what to do with herself at first. She hadn't emerged on Earth, and felt none of the familiarity towards it that Rose did, but at the same time, she wasn't sure that she could go back to Homeworld, at least not right away. The place carried too many bad memories, and she had some doubts in the Diamonds' ability to reshape the planet's society as comprehensively as they claimed they were planning to do.

She had kept herself occupied when she could, indulging in the various forms of what passed for entertainment on Earth, or at least those that were available on Beach City's boardwalk. However, she had quickly found that once night came, the Humans sealed off their places of leisure, and retired to replenish the apparently limited allotment of energy that their flawed organic bodies granted them each day. This had led to her simply wandering around aimlessly at night, doing anything to ensure that she wouldn't have to stop and think for too long about what she had been through in her old life. The Crystal Gems' defective Amethyst had suggested that she take up 'sleeping', as the Humans called it, to while away the nights. Sapphire had quickly found, however, that this was not an effective means of passing the time. Every time she slept, she was haunted by the same dreams; dreams of Rose holding her close, comforting her, before growing angry without warning, and plunging a blade through her chest. Unable to pass the nights the way the Humans did, Sapphire had turned to stargazing; the one thing that she found could calm her in the night time hours.

So, for the time being, this was her life: wandering Beach City by day, playing in the arcade or the funfair, and coming up to the cliff by night, to watch the stars, or listen to the rain. It wasn't exactly a purposeful existence, but then, the absence of purpose was yet another concept that the Humans seemed to be fond of. Steven had said to her one day that he found it liberating that he didn't have a destiny planned out ahead of him; that he could choose to do anything, or nothing, if he so wished. Of course, the hybrid had never had future vision. He couldn't possibly know the joy of seeing one's future mapped out in front of oneself, and the terror that came from having that vision ripped away.

Sapphire was pulled back into the present when she noticed the first strip of purple appearing in the distance, slowly encroaching on the blackness of the night sky. The stars near the advancing front of light were starting to become harder to see, as Earth's sun prepared to crest the horizon. She sighed; partially out of frustration at her stargazing session having come to an end; partially out of relief at another night now being behind her. She remained up on the hill staring into the sky until the sunrise had obscured the majority of the stars. The horizon was now a warm orange, which graded into reds and purples across the sky. Getting to her feet and shaking her legs awake, she decided that she might as well head down into the city for the day. As it was still the crack of dawn, none of Beach City's Human residents were awake yet, so her trip down the hill and onto the boardwalk was quiet and uninterrupted; just the way she liked it. The city had a large contingent of Gem residents as well; former combatants of the Gem War who had been cured of a bizarre affliction known as 'corruption' and taken up residence on Earth. Fortunately for Sapphire though, it seemed as though none of said Gems were up and about either. While most hadn't taken up sleeping, they still tended to remain indoors during the nights, presumably because they found the period of dark and quiet either intimidating or boring. Either way, the absence of other life forms worked just fine for Sapphire. Humans and Crystal Gems seemed to arrange almost nothing in advance. They would just come up and talk to you without so much as arranging a time; drag you off to take part in activities that hadn't been scheduled; behave in utterly unpredictable ways. Sapphire didn't know how the people of Earth got through their days with so little structure.

Stopping halfway along the boardwalk, she sat herself down on one of the benches. With none of the humans awake, none of the businesses were open yet, so there wasn't exactly much to do. She could, perhaps, have simply broken into the funfair and had the place to herself, but apparently that sort of behaviour was frowned upon, and she wanted to remain in the Humans' good graces if at all possible. Besides, there was a strange human child who spoke only in single syllables who often had the same idea, and Sapphire wasn't sure she liked the idea of being in proximity to the unsettling boy.

As she sat, thinking of what to do first once the shops opened, she heard clattering and muttered conversation coming from a few doors down. Glancing towards the source of the noise, her eye (or rather, her gem) fell on a shopfront which was still under construction. She didn't know what had been in that spot previously, but whatever it had been was being replaced by something new. Curiosity was a rare thing for Sapphire; it often led to surprises, which were not something she was fond of. At this particular moment however, with nothing else to occupy her thoughts, her curiosity overcame her, and she wandered over to the new shopfront. It was entirely unpainted, and some scaffolding remained in front of the main display window, but it otherwise seemed functional. Pushing the door, she found it unlocked, which was unusual at this hour, so she simply let herself in.

As soon as she crossed the threshold and closed the door behind her, she was met with the most delightful smells. A diverse mix of various sweet aromas intermingled in the air; an experience that surprised even a being with future vision. Her power was just that: vision. She never got the other sensory components of the futures she predicted, save for sound. She quickly noticed that the smell was coming from a vast array of confectionaries, displayed in glass cases lining the walls of the room. As she took in the sight, she noticed that the muffled speaking she had heard from the boardwalk was a good deal louder in here. The noise seemed to be coming through a large, semi-circular opening in the back wall. As she stepped closer, the individuals who had been speaking crossed in front of the opening, giving her a clear view of their conversation.

"I thought you guys said you'd have the shopfront done before today. There's not much point in me staying up all night baking stuff if no one even knows that we're a bakery."

"Sorry capt-er…Lars. We ran into some disagreements about what colour the walls should be, and what the signs should look like, and before we knew it we were way behind schedule, and we had to finish getting the interior ready."

"Urgh… it's fine Rhodonite. It's not like I need to sleep much these days anyway. Hopefully if we get Padparadscha or the Rutiles handing out fliers or something, people will know we're open."

Sapphire was surprised for yet another time that morning. The unpredictable nature of Beach City had made her future vision unreliable ever since she had reformed, so her predictions rarely told her everything anymore. As a result, the sight of the shop's owners caught her entirely off guard. One appeared to be Human, but his skin was a much deeper pink than was typical of the species, and he bore a scar over one of his eyes. The other was a bizarre Gem with four arms and four eyes, and a mixture of Pearl and Ruby-like physical traits; a permafusion. Sapphire had seen both of them before of course, when she had predicted their involvement in the fight between the Crystal Gems and Facet 31, but she had never seen them in person, and certainly hadn't expected to run into them in a bakery of all places.

After exchanging a few more comments with the fusion, the pink Human noticed Sapphire standing in the front room. Looking startled for a moment, he dashed through a door in the back wall, emerging from the back room in a rather dirty apron. "Er…hi! Sorry, I didn't see you come in there. I'm Lars. Welcome to Galaxy Bakery!"

"Um…hello" Sapphire replied sheepishly. She hadn't actually been banking on a conversation when she'd walked in. "Your shop is…very pleasant."

"Heh, thanks" replied Lars, absent-mindedly scratching the back of his head. "We haven't technically had our grand opening yet, since the shopfront isn't finished, but I figured why not get in and start baking now that the kitchen's up and running. Once we're set up, we're probably gonna be open pretty much 24/7. I know Gems don't really come out at night right now, but that's because nothing's open, right? But everyone hear besides me is a Gem, so we can be open whenever. Once we get started, Gems will have some place to come and get food whenever they want." Lars gazed happily off into the distance as he spoke, seemingly envisioning the future he was discussing. Sapphire could have chosen to literally see it if she wanted, but she suddenly felt as though she wanted to watch this one play out as it happened. "So" said Lars, returning from his moment of daydreaming, "See anything you'd like?"

This question confounded Sapphire somewhat. In the couple of weeks she'd been on Earth, she hadn't made a habit of eating. It was another of the pastimes that the defective Amethyst had introduced her to, and while shapeshifting the required organs had been a challenge, she had at first found it quite enjoyable; the wide array of flavours being one of the few surprises she found pleasant. She had found out the hard way however, that anything ingested had to also be excreted; a process she found less than pleasant. Even the Humans apparently found it distasteful enough that they relegated the process to specific rooms, and Sapphire could see why. Since then, she had eaten only when she could think of literally nothing else to do. However, she couldn't deny that the aroma of this Human's baking was enticing. "It all looks very nice" she replied "but I don't believe I have any way of… what do you Humans say... _Paying_ for these things?"

Lars sighed. "Steven still hasn't hit you guys up with any cash yet? How does he expect all these Gems to live in Beach City if they can't buy anything? Anyway, since you're our first customer ever, I can probably swing ya' a free sample." Lars smiled and disappeared behind the counter for a moment, quickly re-emerging with a slice of some sort of purple confection with a swirl running through it. Sapphire lifted it from the plate he had offered her. It was quite sizeable in her tiny hands. Taking a bite, she was overwhelmed by the flavour. Amethyst had offered her a variety of foodstuffs in the past (as well as various objects that Sapphire suspected weren't Human foodstuffs at all), but this was far better than any of them. Sapphire eagerly gobbled down the rest of the slice, before looking back up at Lars. "That was incredible! Thank you Lars. I will come back when I have acquired some currency, and then I will definitely purchase some more of your foodstuffs!" Lars looked slightly confused, likely by the formality of her speech, but he still gave her a smile, before saying "OK. I'll see you around then. Make sure to tell your friends!"

The mention of the word 'friend' brought a brief pang of sadness back to the forefront of Sapphire's mind. That word had been synonymous with Rose once, but that no longer felt right, and she didn't really know anyone else who she would describe as such either. Nonetheless, she nodded at Lars and chose to simply say "I will." She headed back outside and looked towards the sun. It was now peeking out over the horizon, but it would still be some time before the rest of the Humans woke up. Sapphire decided that she would hang around the boardwalk until then, and, once Steven emerged for the day, she would go and ask him for some Earth currency. She made a mental note to add 'baked goods' to her list of Earth's limited upsides, before heading out onto the beach. This planet wasn't home, but it was a start.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Hey! I'm back after a long absence. As the description says; this story is a sequel to my previous fic 'Missing Peace', so you'll probably need to read that to  
understand any of what's going on. For any returning readers, I would say this: Don't expect something on the level of 'Missing Peace'. This is a much shorter, lower stakes,  
character-focused story. If that sounds like your thing then read on! I hope to post a chapter every two days, but I can't make promises. Until next time, feedback is much  
appreciated. Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Rose Quartz sat on the side of her bed, gazing around at her room. The pastel-pink walls were lined with various objects. Some sat on shelves, while others were mounted directly onto the walls. Rose was unaccustomed to the idea of belongings (Gem soldiers hadn't tended to own things back in her day), but she was learning to enjoy the sense of self expression that came from giving her quarters a personal touch. The bulk of her collection consisted of an impressive array of weapons. She had salvaged them over the past couple of weeks from an old Gem battlefield located somewhere in Earth's northern region. The site had become overgrown with huge, fruit-bearing plants, but the tangle of leaves concealed a treasure trove of weapons left over from the Gem War. While many of the weapons' owners were probably still alive (and indeed, living under the same roof as Rose) none had been back to collect their old weapons, so Rose had simply assumed that they were unwanted, and taken them herself. Once polished back to a shine which disguised their millennia spent in the dirt, they made attractive decorations for her room, and helped it to feel more fitting for a soldier.

While there was definitely still some work to be done to make the place feel like home, Rose was grateful to have the room at all. Upon arriving on Earth just a couple of weeks prior, she had been confined to Beach City for her own safety, and to keep her presence a secret from Earth's governments. Steven had offered to let her stay with him, and the Crystal Gems, despite looking wary at first, had acquiesced, granting her a room in their temple. Apparently the structure had the means of creating rooms out of thin air; rooms which completely defied the building's internal dimensions. Since the Diamonds had healed the Gems corrupted during the war, the Temple was now home to hundreds of them, and the building's miraculous power had been invaluable in housing them. Most of the Gems spent the majority of their time in their respective chambers, but Steven's living area was still more crowded than it had been before the Gems were healed, or so Steven had told her.

She wondered sometimes what the rooms belonging to such a strange group of Gems must be like, but she had never had cause to visit any of them. She had largely kept to herself since coming to Earth, emerging every once in a while to talk to Steven. It was…difficult to be out there sometimes. Some days, there would be healed Gems hanging around the house. Often, they would stare at her with such intense expressions that she wanted to shrink away and hide behind the nearest bit of furniture. Sometimes the expressions were sad, or fearful, or angry, and sometimes they were almost joyful. The Gems had all had it explained to them that she was not the same Rose Quartz that had led their rebellion (though how much Steven had told them about Pink Diamond's alter ego, Rose wasn't sure), but she understood how they must be feeling, seeing someone with the same face as their beloved leader just sitting there in front of them.

And then there was that damned painting. Rose tried not to look at it, but every time she visited Steven her eyes were inevitably drawn to the smiling, serene face of the portrait on the wall; the face of the Gem she knew to be her Diamond, but who looked more like her doppelganger. Rose wasn't sure what was more surreal; the fact that the face in the portrait looked so much like her, or the fact that she knew that under that Quartz mask had been the Diamond she had known for years. Pink looked so peaceful in that picture; so angelic; a far cry from the playful, childish Diamond that Rose had known. Even though she'd learned the truth about Pink just after she was freed, it still felt unreal sometimes to see the life the Diamond had led after fleeing her old one on Homeworld. Pink's Crystal Gems had idolised her just as devoutly as Rose had, but they did so without ever knowing who she was. Rose had always followed Pink out of a pre-programmed desire to serve her Diamond, but these rebels had been willing to do so on nothing more than her charisma. It troubled Rose that there was a side to her Diamond that she had never seen. Despite claiming to be one of her most loyal servants, she had never noticed Pink's pain; never noticed that the years of sadness that pushed the Diamond into rebellion.

Still, Pink hadn't exactly been observant of others' feeling either. She had given seemingly no thought to what would happen to her Rose Quartzes after she used their form as an alias, and, if the stories Rose had heard from Steven were true, she had caused her fellow rebels a good deal of heartache too. Since being unbubbled, Rose had become acutely aware of the fact that Diamonds could be flawed, and it seemed Pink had been no exception. Steven though, seemed intent on making up for the mistakes of his predecessor, always giving Rose the attention she needed. Whenever she was feeling down, he would drop whatever he was doing and chat with her. Rose still couldn't wrap her head around why he would do such a thing after everything she had tried to do to his planet, but she was grateful for it all the same.

As much as she appreciated Steven's company though, the young hybrid could only do so much. The one Gem that Rose truly wanted to talk to right now still wasn't willing to even speak to her. Sapphire spent most of her time wandering around Beach City these days, and what few discussions she did have were with Steven or Garnet. Whenever Rose had tried to approach her, she would quickly leave, sometimes without even trying to come up with an excuse. It stung whenever she did that, but Rose couldn't truthfully blame her. She understood all too well what Sapphire must have been feeling; it was the same feeling of betrayal that Rose had felt whenever she cast her mind back to her time serving Pink Diamond. The pain of those memories had driven Rose to near insanity, and in her quest for revenge, she had inadvertently betrayed Sapphire in exactly the same way Pink had betrayed her. Sapphire had only been concerned with their future, and what had Rose done in return? Driven a sword through her chest for her efforts. That might have been the part which Rose found the most painful to dwell on. She could stand Sapphire avoiding her, as much as it hurt; but what was infinitely more painful was the knowledge that the small blue Gem was right to do so. If the situation had been reversed, Rose would likely have done much worse, not unlike she had tried to do to Steven. There was a part of Rose that cried out for Sapphire; longed for the two of them to be on speaking terms again, but there was another part of her that felt just as adamantly that she didn't deserve Sapphire's forgiveness.

Realising that she would rather be doing pretty much anything besides wallowing in her pain, Rose got up from her bed and headed out into the house. As she emerged into the chamber bearing the base's warp pad, she had a clear view into Steven's living quarters. It was early in the morning, but already the cosy wooden structure was bustling with activity. Steven was sat on the sofa with his breakfast in his lap, chatting to a group of Crystal Gems. They were a bizarre sight to behold; each one of them bearing a pair of horns, or a modified appendage, or strange patches of colour which clashed with their overall colour scheme. Rose knew that the unusual features were the lingering aftereffects of the corrupting light which the Diamonds had unleashed at the end of the war, and, for the first time, she reflected that she may have been lucky to have been poofed and taken off-planet before that weapon had been fired. The Gems were all eyeing Steven with great interest; some listening intently to what he was saying; others seemingly more interested in watching him eat. As Rose got close, the conversation almost instantly came to a halt, as all eyes turned to her. Some of them Gems stared awkwardly at the ground or tried, unconvincingly, to look busy. Others though, stared at her with the fascination she had come to expect; seemingly unable to take their eyes off her. Not for the first time since arriving on Earth, Rose became uncomfortably aware of the Facet 31 logo which still emblazoned the front of her black jumpsuit. She didn't wear her cape these days, but her outfit was still rather conspicuous. She wondered what the Crystal Gems thought of the other rebel group; especially given that it had been run by a body double of their own leader. Truthfully, it was probably her face that was giving them pause much more than her uniform. Facet 31 had been responsible for some immoral acts under her leadership, not least trying to wipe out the race which many Crystal Gems had given their lives to defend, but it was likely Steven could have smoothed all that over in his characteristically miraculous way, had it not been for how Rose looked. More than once, she had seen a Crystal Gem's face light up at the sight of her, only for Steven to take them aside and explain that she was not the leader they had held in almost messianic regard. The circumstances of Steven's own creation had thankfully taken much of the attention away from Rose in the days that followed, as he had gone public to more and more of the cured Gems about Pink Diamond's masquerade. However, Rose still received strange looks on a regular basis, presumably from Gems who simply couldn't believe that their leader was truly gone, or who didn't know how to feel about having another Gem who looked so similar wandering around the base. Rose couldn't exactly blame them; she felt the same confusing mix of emotions whenever she looked at Steven, or the painting of his mother on the wall. It was as though her Diamond was right there, but at the same time, not. So much had been left unsaid between Pink and Rose, and she was still struggling to deal with the knowledge that it would all remain unsaid.

Noticing that she was uncomfortable, Steven took charge of the situation. "OK everyone" he said, addressing the Gems who were crowded around him "I can finish the rest of the story later. I'm just gonna go talk to Rose for a while, ok?" The Gems accepted without complaint, and allowed Steven to slip out of the huddle and head up to his bedroom with Rose in tow. Rose would have expected them to have been more reluctant, given the reverent fascination with which they regarded Steven, but then they were probably all as eager to escape from the awkward situation as she was. Steven's "bedroom" didn't actually have any walls separating it from the rest of his living area, so it didn't offer much in terms of privacy, but the other Gems clearly held Steven's words in high regard, and had filed back into their own rooms to let him talk to Rose alone. The pair sat on Steven's bed; Rose lowering her weight carefully to avoid breaking it.

"So…" Steven began, "how are you holding up?" Rose wasn't sure at first how to answer. Her first instinct was to say that she was fine, but it quickly occurred to her that if that had been the case; she probably wouldn't have sought out a conversation in the first place. Not too long ago, she would have been irritated at even being asked such a simple question; incensed at the assumption that her pain was small enough to be put into words. Now though, she was in a much better place, and while things were far from perfect, she felt that she could now face her feelings without letting them overwhelm her. After thinking for a prolonged moment, she finally answered Steven's question.

"I… I think I'm ok. I mean; it's great being back on Earth again, and it's great having my own room…"

"But…?" Steven pried. He was a lot more observant than he looked. Rose sighed, and decided it was finally time to get a couple of things off her chest. "But… it doesn't exactly feel like the same planet I left. The Humans have done so much in the last five thousand years; almost nothing feels familiar anymore. At least when I was in Facet 31 I had all the other Rose Quartz from my kindergarten, but here it's just me."

Steven picked up instantly on the implication of her last sentence. "Sapphire still doesn't wanna talk to you?"

"No." replied Rose dejectedly. "And why would she? She gave me her trust and I betrayed it. Not everyone is as understanding as you are Steven; I wouldn't be surprised if she never wants to talk to me again." Rose brought her legs up on to the bed and curled her arms around them. She knew that she must have looked rather pathetic, but she didn't much care. Her thoughts were focused mostly on Sapphire. She had tried not to think too much about her tiny blue companion since her last attempt to speak to her, but the conversation with Steven was causing the wound to reopen with a vengeance.

Steven stared sadly for a moment at Rose, who had seemingly become lost in her own thoughts. The sight of such a large and powerful Gem curled up like an upset child was the sort of thing he had become all too familiar with, but no matter how many Gems he befriended, their plights never failed to move him. He inched closer to Rose, and put his hand reassuringly on her arm. She turned her head towards him just enough that he could tell that he had her attention. "Y'know" he began, "I don't know Sapphire very well, but from what I saw of her it seemed like she cared about you a lot. That kind of thing doesn't disappear because of one argument."

"I stabbed her through the chest" Rose replied flatly. "Calling it an argument is a bit of an understatement."

"I know it was bad, but I've seen people forgive each other for worse stuff" replied Steven optimistically. "Garnet forgave Pearl for tricking her into fusing; Lapis forgave the Crystal Gems for leaving her trapped in a mirror for thousands of years; Connie even forgave me for trying to sacrifice myself to homeworld without running it by her first!" Rose gave Steven a somewhat concerned look, before finally saying "you and your friends live really messed up lives, y'know that?"

"Exactly!" replied Steven. "And if we can move past crazy stuff like that, I'm sure you and Sapphire can find a way to fix things too. It might take a while, but if you two are anything like any of the other Gems I've met, you'll get there eventually."

Rose's face softened into a grateful smile. She relaxed from her hunched position, and gently took hold of Steven's hand. "Thank you Steven. That means a lot. You didn't need to do any of this, especially after what I did."

"What can I say?" Steven replied with a smirk and an exaggerated shrug "I'm pretty good at forgiving too." Rose mustered a tiny chuckle at that, and before long the two were chatting happily. After a while, Rose decided to head outside. Her talk with Steven had given her the feeling that now was as good a time as any to explore a bit more of Beach City. She hadn't strayed far from her room since it was made, but for the first time she felt eager to see more of the world that Steven seemed so fond of. Waving goodbye to Steven, she opened the front door and headed out onto the porch. Having not been looking where she was going, she was caught off guard by the knee-height obstacle that she collided with and almost tripped over. Giving a small yelp, she looked down, and found herself staring into the face of Sapphire.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **And now we begin to tie in Rose's side of the story. Hope you guys are enjoying it so far. Feedback as ever is appreciated; I'll see you in the next chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Rose stared wide-eyed at the short blue Gem in front of her, unsure of what to say. Sapphire returned a similarly slack-jawed expression. After what could only have been a second or two, but felt like an eternity, Rose managed to stammer out a greeting. "Sapphire! Er, hi there. Sorry, I didn't see you there. I was just-"

"It's fine" Sapphire cut across her, an icy edge poorly disguised behind her otherwise calm tone. "I'm just here to see Steven."

"Oh, ok. That's…cool. He's just inside. Shall I tell him you're here?" Rose asked; trying her best to talk naturally as a maelstrom of emotions waged a vicious battle inside her.

"No. I'll just… Actually, I think I'll come back later." Sapphire replied bluntly, turning to leave. "If you'll excuse me." Rose raised her hand and briefly considered calling out after Sapphire, but quickly decided against it. It stung to watch Sapphire walk away, but it was just like Steven had said: this was going to take time, and there was little sense pushing Sapphire when she clearly wasn't interested in talking.

Sapphire walked away as briskly as she could while still giving off some illusion of composure. She didn't have anywhere specific that she wanted to be, but she simply hadn't been able to stand being face to face with Rose. As she walked, she resisted the impulse to look back over her shoulder, knowing Rose was probably watching her leave. Once she had walked far enough along the beach that she was sure she was out of view from Steven's house, she slumped down onto one of the large rocks that dotted the beach. Her face was still burning from the encounter, so she cooled it with a gentle yet icy blast from her palms. She sighed and stared out towards the ocean, wondering how many awkward meetings she and Rose were likely to have before one or both of them got off-planet. Deep in thought though she was, she still heard the soft footsteps of someone treading across the sand behind her. She didn't need to turn around to know who it was; it was the same Gem, or _Gems_, who always seemed to show up when she was feeling down, whether their company had been solicited or not. "What do you want fusion?" Sapphire said more icily than she had meant to, as Garnet sat down next to her.

Garnet was the Gem that Sapphire had had the most regular contact with over the past few weeks, but their meetings were still infrequent, by Sapphire's choice. Garnet's form still confounded Sapphire. It bore many of the physical traits of her own kind, mixed in with those of a Ruby. The result was an imposing yet admittedly elegant form that bore more resemblance to a Hessonite than to either of its actual components. The Humans Sapphire had encountered seemed wholly unfazed by Garnet's appearance, though Sapphire hadn't been surprised. Not being from Homeworld themselves, the Humans could never understand how aberrant Garnet looked to a Gem.

The last time Sapphire and Garnet had spoken, the former had quizzed the latter about the humans' acceptance of her form. "Is this why you like this planet so much?" Sapphire had asked, "Because they don't notice what you are?"

Garnet's reply had surprised her somewhat. "No" the fusion had said, "I love it here because they all know what I am, and they support me anyway."

Sapphire had been shocked. "You revealed your true nature to these humans?" Garnet had then been all too happy to tell the story of her wedding, and how Beach City's citizens had come together for the event. "And that didn't affect how they saw you; make them scared of your form?" Sapphire had asked.

"Nope" Garnet had replied, before adding with a smile "As a matter of fact, people on this planet quite like my form, thank you very much."

Sapphire had responded incredulously "are extra eyes a sought after quality on Earth?"

Garnet had ignored her barbed tone, and replied with a smirk "I don't think it's the eyes they pay attention to." Not wanting to explore the fusion's line of reasoning any further, Sapphire had made her excuses and wandered off. That had been a few days ago, and she hadn't run into Garnet since.

And yet here the fusion was, yet again making uninvited conversation. Once Sapphire finally turned to face her, the fusion spoke. "I was hoping we could talk, if you're up for it" said Garnet with a face that betrayed no emotion in particular, evidently choosing to ignore the venom in Sapphire's voice. "It might make you feel better."

"How would you know whether or not I need to feel better?" Sapphire shot back incredulously, yet with slightly less harshness than she had spoken with before. Garnet wordlessly slid her golden visor down her face slightly, revealing the third eye on her forehead. "Oh. Future vision. Right." Sapphire replied sheepishly. She had briefly forgotten that Garnet possessed the same ability she did. No; if anything Garnet's ability was more advanced. It enabled her to envision multiple possible timelines, rather than just the one which events were currently heading towards. As much as Sapphire hated to admit it, out of all the people on Earth, Garnet was probably the one best equipped to help her make sense of her uncertainties about the future.

"Go on then" said Garnet softly. "Tell me about what's eating at you." Sapphire knew that Garnet was already acutely aware of _what_ she was thinking about, but the fusion wanted to hear it from her, and frankly, she had nothing to lose by telling her.

"I've been spending the past few weeks trying to move on; to think of anything but Rose and Facet 31, but I can't. Every time I think I'm forgetting about it, I run into her again. I mean, obviously I have no right to say she shouldn't be here; she's Steven's guest too… It's just, I decided to stay on Earth for a while because I needed some distance from my past, but it just came with me. I can't hide from it." As she spoke, Sapphire had been staring out at the ocean rather than looking Garnet in the face, but the tremble in her voice made her emotions all too clear. When Sapphire's gaze finally flitted back to Garnet, she saw the fusion regarding her with an inscrutable gaze; her already neutral expression largely obscured by her visor.

Sapphire was about to ask the fusion what she was staring at when Garnet responded "So you're trying to hide from it." Sapphire was somewhat taken aback by Garnet's tone. The fusion had spoken without malice, but it was still clear that she didn't approve.

"Of course! Wouldn't you?" Sapphire shot back. "You came to this planet because you couldn't face your old lives on Homeworld, right? Why should it be any different for me? Why should I have to remember what was done to me?!" Garnet softened her expression further, clearly empathetic to Sapphire's situation. "No-one's suggesting you should have to go back to the Diamonds or anything; it's going to be a long time before any of us can be comfortable around them, but I think you and I both know that that's not who we were talking about." Sapphire tensed. The fusion had a way of cutting right to the core of the matter, regardless of the emotions involved.

"You think this is all about Rose?" Sapphire asked, slightly irritated at the fusion's prying.

"Look" replied Garnet bluntly "I know you're both restricted to Beach City right now, and it's not a big place; I get it, but if you two had really wanted to avoid each other, you probably could have done it. We could have put one of you up somewhere else in the city so that you didn't run into each other as often, but neither of you asked for that. If you want my opinion, I think that part of you wants to see her."

Sapphire opened her mouth to rebut the fusion's presumptuous statement, but her words caught in her throat before she got the chance. Her mind flashed back to her first few days on Earth. During that time, she had watched Rose from a distance, eager to see with her own eyes the veracity of Steven's claims that the Quartz had changed. While she ultimately came away without an answer to that question, she could not deny that she had still derived some happiness from the sight of Rose. Watching the Quartz soldier playing happily with Steven and his friends had reminded her of how Rose had been back when Sapphire had first met her; a smiling, comforting presence in the chaos of Facet 31's kindergarten hideout. At the time, Sapphire had been wholly blind; her future vision rendered useless by the chaos of Era 3. Rose's voice and touch alone had been enough to pull her back into the light. That all seemed to long ago now; before the betrayal; before the violence. And yet, the sight of Rose smiling as she engaged in simple Earth games still sent Sapphire's heart into a somersault, just as it always had done.

Sapphire's shoulders slumped as she realised that she could deny Garnet's words no longer. A part of her wanted to run away from Rose and never look back, while another part wanted to hold her and never let go. Instead of the barb she had been planning, all that came out of her mouth when she finally looked up at Garnet was "What should I do? I don't know how to make it like it was before."

Garnet inched closer to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. Sapphire might once have recoiled from the touch of such a bizarre fusion, but the gesture suddenly felt rather comforting. "That depends on what you want. You just said you want things to be like they were, but you also say that you want to leave your past behind. You can't do both of those things. Bury the past, or embrace it; I'm not here to tell you which of those things to choose, but I think you already know which one you want more."

"You _think_?" Sapphire replied. "Doesn't your future vision just _tell_ you what I'm going to do?" Garnet shook her head. "It could, but it's not my place. If I told you what your most probable future was, it would affect your decision, and you have to come to that answer for yourself." Garnet rose from her seated position, and knelt down in front of Sapphire, smiling at her. "But I'm here anytime you need me while you're making that decision, and once you've decided, I'll back you 100% of the way."

If Sapphire had had an eye, she would surely have been crying. She had no idea why the fusion was so invested in helping her, but right now she didn't care for her reasons. Had Sapphire not found Garnet's appearance so disconcerting, she could have hugged her. As it was, she simply managed an emotional "Thank you, Garnet." Garnet gave a cheeky smirk, before replying "How about that: you _can _remember my name." The former enemies shared a brief chuckle at that, before settling into a comfortable silence as they looked out at the sea.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Rose closed her eyes and took in the comforting scent of the dirt around her. It didn't smell quite the same as the strata in the place she had been born, but it was close enough to let her cast her mind back to a simpler time; when her only worries were her daily duties; when her only desire was to please her Diamond. She opened her eyes again and gazed out across the pockmarked purple canyon in which she stood; the Alpha kindergarten. The sky was a dull grey, so the light filtering down into the canyon was dim at best, but it was still possible to make out the multitude of roughly Gem-shaped holes which dotted the vast rocky walls. Rose's own kindergarten had been decidedly pinker in appearance, but the resemblance between the two was close enough that the place still gave Rose a pleasant feeling of nostalgia.

Over the past few weeks, she had come to the kindergarten often, whenever she needed a place to think, and found herself unable to clear her head within the confines of her room. The place was a nice trip down memory lane, as tinged with bitterness as those memories might have been. It could never put her mind entirely at ease though; she suspected nothing would. As she stared out at the canyon, the complete lack of organic life was conspicuous to her for the first time. She had never really taken note of it before, but the few weeks she had spent in Beach City had caused her to grow accustomed to constant movement and noise. The kindergarten was utterly static; dead. The familiar surroundings quickly became a lot less pleasant when she reflected on the fact that, had she succeeded in her plan, the entirety of the Earth's surface would have looked much the same. A pang of guilt shot through her as she pictured the bustling environment of Beach City reduced to baked soil and petrified trees. She tried to push the thought to the back of her mind. That future hadn't come to pass; Steven had stopped her; snapped her out of her insanity before she could do irreparable damage. For that she was grateful.

During her previous visits to the kindergarten, no one had followed her, suggesting that either the others didn't know where she disappeared off to every now and then, or that they were wisely choosing to give her space. This visit, however, was an exception. Rose whirled around as she heard the unmistakable sound of the kindergarten's warp pad echoing through the otherwise deathly quiet canyon. She wasn't sure who else would be visiting, but there were quite a few Quartzes among the uncorrupted Gems, so it wasn't surprising that one might want to visit their birthplace. As Rose rounded the corner, she was able to see the warp pad from her position. She stopped in her tracks the instant she saw its user. She had been expecting a Quartz, or perhaps the Crystal Gems' Pearl doing some sort of patrol, but instead, it was Steven who had appeared on the pad. "Figures" she thought to herself. The boy seemed to have some sort of magnetic attraction to anyone who was moping.

"Hi Rose!" said Steven with a smile. "Checking out the kindergarten? Peridot always tells me this place is super impressive, but I kinda like places with a bit more colour…and life… and fewer death machines."

Rose stifled a chuckle. She wasn't sure when she had begun to find Steven's unique outlook so endearing. Still, as much as she enjoyed his company, she wasn't particularly in the mood for visitors. "Steven, how did you even know I was here?" she asked. The kindergarten warp wasn't exactly the first place any human would choose to go; not that Steven _was _human.

"Oh, I just figured that if I was a Quartz soldier who wanted to go be brooding, this is where I would come" Steven replied nonchalantly. "Also there are only so many warps on Earth so I kinda just went through them all until I found you" he admitted with a shrug and a grin. Upon hearing that, Rose conceded defeat. There was no getting away from Steven when he decided you needed talking to, and if she was being honest with herself, her visits to the kindergarten weren't helping her feel much better. "Alright Steven" she said, throwing up her hands, "what do you want to talk about?"

"Whaddya think?" Steven asked with a knowing smile.

"Feelings?" asked Rose unenthusiastically.

"Feelings" replied Steven matter-of-factly. Seeing Rose rolling her eyes, he quickly continued. "Aw, c'mon! It's not like you've been getting any happier by coming here and moping all the time." Rose knew in her heart that he was right, and, even if he hadn't been, there wouldn't have been any talking him out of it. If she hadn't known that he was a Diamond, Rose would have sworn that he had been designed specifically for therapy. There were no Gems designed for therapy of course; mental health hadn't exactly been one of Homeworld's priorities in previous eras, but Steven was a welcome change from the norm. As Rose moved to sit beside him though, he held up his hands, motioning for her to wait. "Hold on, I think we should talk someplace a little less depressing. You wanna come back to the beach with me?" Rose found the request slightly strange, but then Steven did seem a lot more uncomfortable in the kindergarten than she was. "Alright I suppose" she replied. "Let's go."

* * *

As the pair materialised on the warp pad which adorned one of the many hands of the Crystal Gems' temple, Rose felt the cool sea air hit her. The air in the kindergarten had been static and stale, and the beach was admittedly more pleasant. A collection of identical shirts fluttered on a line over their heads, each a perfect copy of the one Steven was currently wearing. Rose wasn't sure why a being who could remove his appearance modifiers on command would choose to always wear the same thing, but she was used to Steven being an enigma. What she was altogether unprepared for though, was the sight that greeted her as she stepped forwards to sit on the edge of the hand. Sapphire was stood down on the beach metres below, looking up at her with a mix of nervousness and anticipation.

Rose stood stock still, her mouth hanging open unceremoniously. Sapphire said nothing, presumably not sure _what_ to say. Eventually Rose spoke, but her words were directed at the young hybrid that stood beside her. "Steven, what's going on? Why is Sapphire-?"

"I… set things up so you could talk…. Isn't it great?" said Steven with the sort of nervous smile that said "please don't hurt me." Rose had no intention of doing so, but the idea of punching _something_ was certainly tempting right now. "Sapphire decided that she wanted to talk to you, but she wasn't sure where to start, so… I offered to get you two together. Is… is that ok?" Rose took a couple of deep breaths; unnecessary for a species that didn't need oxygen, but it helped to calm her down. "Yes, that's ok…. Thank you Steven." Steven nodded, and then, seeing that both Gems were eyeing him awkwardly, took his cue to leave them to it. He stepped back onto the pad and warped into his house, leaving Rose and Sapphire alone outside the temple.

Rose jumped down from the temple's hand, landing in front of Sapphire with a soft thud. For a moment the two simply looked each other in the face, unsure who should begin. "I-" Both spoke simultaneously, stopping almost instantly when they realised they were talking over each other. Both Gems gave an awkward grin, and Rose gestured for Sapphire to go first. Sapphire _had _been the one who had finally agreed to talk after all; it stood to reason that she probably had something she wanted to get off her chest.

"I had Steven bring you here because…. Well I've been doing some thinking, and…" Sapphire was stammering and wringing her hands. Her tiny body was trembling in what could have been nervousness, anger, or even fear; Rose genuinely wasn't sure which. The dainty blue Gem gulped, steeling herself. "I miss you!" she blurted out loudly, exhaling deeply afterwards, glad at least to have got over the first hurdle. Rose said nothing. She wasn't sure what she even _could_ say. On one hand, she was grateful that Sapphire felt the same way she did, but on the other, Sapphire's tone was a clear giveaway that she was still far from comfortable talking to her. "Don't get me wrong" Sapphire continued, "I'm still furious about what happened on the zoo…" Someone who didn't know any Sapphires would have doubted it, given how calm her tone seemed, but Rose heard the ice behind her voice well enough to know she was serious. "But…" Sapphire continued, "as much as being around you makes me… uncomfortable sometimes, I've realised that _not_ being around you makes me miserable too… So I thought it might make me feel better if we tried to fix things than if we just kept avoiding each other. If… that's ok with you?"

Rose had her hands clasped over her own mouth, so she didn't attempt an articulate reply. She simply nodded and gave a quiet "mhmm" as the tears rolled down her face. Sapphire's body relaxed slightly, her trembling growing more gentle. "Ok then…" she said. "Where should we start?"

"Well…" Rose replied as she wiped at her eyes "what would you feel most comfortable with?" Sapphire thought for a moment, caressing her own chin with her thumb and forefinger. "I suppose… anything that just involves being around you really. I want to spend time with you, but every time I see you, I get these… flashes; memories of what happened." Rose nodded in understanding. That detail certainly made Sapphire's behaviour over the past few weeks understandable, though it once again filled Rose with guilt that the damage she had done to Sapphire had been so lingering. She realised how naïve she had been to ever believe that Sapphire would be alright once she had reformed. "I… need to start feeling comfortable around you again" continued Sapphire. "It may take a while, but I'd like to try, so I don't really mind what we do as long as we can take it slow and do it together."

"That's fine with me" replied Rose with a tearful smile. "Arcade?" Sapphire brightened up at the suggestion, cracking the first smile Rose had seen from her since their days in Facet 31. "That's the one with all the strange flashing boxes right?" asked Sapphire. "I _do _like that place. The devices function in such predictable ways. It's… comforting." Rose couldn't help but think how typical it was of a Sapphire to enjoy a game for its predictability, when most would seek out the exact opposite, but then, Sapphire's future vision was all she had, so Rose couldn't blame her. "Ok then" said Rose, wiping the last of her tears away "Hopefully the human who runs it isn't sleeping or something."

"Yes, they _do_ do that a lot don't they?" replied Sapphire in a tone that almost sounded amused. As the two walked off down the beach towards the boardwalk, they traded jokes about the funny things humans tended to do. All the while, they kept a short distance between them; close enough to talk easily, but far enough that they never brushed against each other. Rose longed to reach out and take Sapphire's hand, but that could come later. Sapphire needed time to adjust to being around her again, and Rose was more than happy to give her as much time as it took; just being around her again felt like a crushing weight being lifted off her shoulders. There was still a distance between them, but it at least felt like a comfortable one now.

Steven stood on his balcony, watching with a smile as Rose and Sapphires' silhouettes grew more distant. Garnet walked up behind him and put her hand on his shoulder. "Well, I'd say that went pretty well" she said as he turned to look up at her. "Nice work Steven."

"That's _Counsellor _Steven to you" Steven said with a grin, his fists on his hips in a triumphant pose. "I think you need some sort of certificate for that" Garnet chuckled in reply. "It's… honorary" said Steven, continuing his joke on the fly. Garnet chuckled again, moving her hand up to his head and ruffling his hair. "Whatever you say, counsellor."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Rose and Sapphire stood at adjacent arcade machines, idly chatting as they worked their way through the various computerised challenges. Rose tried to focus on her game long enough to keep her the character she was playing as from dying, but she found her eyes constantly drawn back to Sapphire, who was of course playing flawlessly, effortlessly walking her way through a strange game that involved swinging lumps of meat around. Using future vision was kind-of cheating, but Sapphire didn't particularly care. So few things on Earth were easy to predict, so she was more than happy to take advantage of the arcade games' simple programming to grant herself a period of clarity. The games had the added benefit of preventing her thoughts from dwelling too long on Rose. Sapphire was enjoying being around her again of course, but it wasn't easy. Sometimes Rose would make a certain face or tone of voice, and Sapphire would be cast back yet again to the events of the Human Zoo battle. She still saw the flashes; Rose holding her close, and then driving a sword through her without warning. Sapphire stamped the visions down quickly though, allowing the game to pull her focus back into reality. She wasn't going to let those feelings make her run away any more. Still, she couldn't help but notice the irony in a Gem who was supposed to see the future being hounded so doggedly by visions of the past. The Sapphires back home would definitely have got a kick out of that, but honestly, she found herself caring less and less about what they might have thought. She still wasn't sure whether or not she wanted to stay on Earth indefinitely, but the time away from Homeworld was definitely helping to heal at least some of her old wounds.

Rose and Sapphire had had the arcade to themselves for most of the morning, but a few other Gems, and the occasional brave human, were beginning to file in. Crystal Gems of all shapes, colours and sizes were amusing themselves with the multitude of games lining the walls. Sapphire gazed around the arcade at them. Some were covered in spikes or strange splotches of colour, while others bore animalistic appendages; all vestigial damage from the Diamonds' corruption attack. During her time with Facet 31, the sight would have been quite off-putting to Sapphire, but now, having become accustomed to the sight of a _permafusion_ of all things, these Gems' aberrations seemed subtle in comparison. There was one Gem among the crowd who still caught her attention though. The Gem's back was turned, but Sapphire could tell immediately from her green and black flight suit, long coattails, and tufts of pale hair that the Gem was a Nephrite; one that Steven was quite fond of, if Sapphire remembered correctly. As if noticing Sapphire's gaze on her back, the Nephrite turned, revealing the spherical green gem that was fused with her eye. As the Nephrite began walking in her direction, Sapphire felt her anxiety rising. She did _not_ want to do this now. Rose was around, and that Nephrite raised questions she didn't want to discuss right now. Turning to the exit, she moved to leave.

"Sapphire?"

Sapphire stopped in her tracks at the sound of Rose's voice calling out to her. "Is everything alright?" the Quartz continued in a worried tone. "I'm not bothering you, am I?" Sapphire sighed. For once, it wasn't Rose who was making her uncomfortable, and she hated the thought that she might have given her the wrong idea. "I'm fine Rose" she replied as convincingly as she could manage. "I'll be back in just a minute, ok?"

"Er… ok" said Rose, looking slightly confused. "You take all the time you need." With that, Sapphire darted out of the arcade and off down the boardwalk. Once she was gone, Rose couldn't help but wonder to herself what had just happened. Sapphire hadn't sounded sincere when she's said that she was fine, but the lack of ice in her voice made it seem like she wasn't mad at her this time, so why had she suddenly left? "Hmm, maybe she tried those human ingestible products, and had to go use Steven's bathroom or something" Rose theorised out loud. "No, she would have said something if-"

"Excuse me?"

Rose whirled her head around as her train of thought was interrupted. The question had come from a Nephrite, who was standing next to her looking a little sheepish. "Er…yes?" replied Rose, unsure of why the slender green Gem was speaking to her. Usually the Gems in Beach City went out of their way not to converse with her. "Your Sapphire friend was staring at me before" said the Nephrite. "Have I upset her somehow?" Rose wasn't entirely sure how to answer. Sapphire's current mental state was such that the Nephrite very well could have upset her without even meaning to. That said; it seemed unlikely that any simple misunderstanding would have caused enough offence for Sapphire to just storm out. "I… don't think so?" replied Rose uncertainly. "She certainly hasn't said anything to me about it."

"Oh, okay then" replied the Nephrite, partially calmed, though clearly not entirely. "You got a designation, Nephrite?" asked Rose, trying to be polite. She had noticed that few of the Gems in Beach City actually went by their gem types. The Crystal Gems had a penchant for nicknames. The Nephrite though, looked a little surprised to have been asked. "Well… I'm Facet 413, Cabochon 12… but I usually go by 'Centi' here." The nickname sounded much like the ones the Crystal Gems used, but a quick glance at the Pink Diamond emblem on Centi's chest told Rose otherwise. "I'm guessing Steven came up with that one" said Rose with a chuckle. "Heh, yeah" replied Centi with a shy smile. I didn't like it much at first, since it reminded me so much of the corruption, but it kinda just… feels right now."

Rose looked at Centi attentively as she spoke, but before she got the chance to reply, something about the former pilot caught her attention. As the Nephrite's large eye swivelled in her head, taking in various parts of her surroundings, the light from the game machines glinted off it, giving off a slight green shine now and again. "Er… is everything alright?" asked Centi, having noticed Rose staring. "Uh… yes, sorry" relied Rose with a nervous chuckle, slightly embarrassed by her lapse. "It's just… your eye. Is it your gem?"

"Yes it is" replied Centi with a quizzical expression. "Why do you ask?"

"Well it's… that is… you can _see_" replied Rose, failing to disguise her confusion. "Well…_yeah_" replied Centi, looking just as confused. "The Diamonds wouldn't have given anyone an eye gem if it stopped us from seeing." Rose wasn't sure how to respond to that. She didn't know a lot about the Gem creation process; it had been well outside her job description during her time in Pink Diamond's court, and she had therefore paid little attention to it. However, she could certainly see the logic in Centi's statement. Why would the Diamonds build an obvious weakness into a Gem? Granted, Gems came with disadvantages sometimes; some Quartz soldiers came out short or misshapen for instance, but those anomalies were always the result of… "A defect." Rose finished her own though out loud, albeit in a whisper. "Um… what?" asked Centi in response. "Oh… nothing, sorry" replied Rose, deflecting as best she could. The questions she had now weren't for Centi, and any answers were none of Centi's business. "Alright then" said Centi, giving the monocular equivalent of a raised eyebrow. "Anyway, I just wanted to make sure that I hadn't-"

"Rose, I'm back!" Sapphire's arrival cut Centi off mid-sentence, as she stood in the entrance to the arcade holding a couple of paper bags. "I got us some…pastries…" Sapphire stopped as she noticed the Nephrite stood next to Rose. She had hoped that the two wouldn't get talking, and she could tell from the strange look Rose was giving her that the Quartz had put two and two together. "Excuse me" she said in a polite yet edged tone as she walked up to the Nephrite "could you please leave us for a moment?"

"Um… sure. I'll leave you two to it" replied Centi, looking mildly unsettled. As the Nephrite trudged back to an unoccupied games machine, Rose and Sapphire turned to look at one another. Sapphire's expression was difficult to place, but it definitely wasn't happy. Rose put on a sheepish smile, wondering whether she had somehow offended Sapphire. Did she really have some problem with that Nephrite? The brief moment of tension passed as quickly as it had formed, as Sapphire sighed and dropped her shoulders. "I can tell by how you're looking at me that you've figured it out. How much did she tell you?" asked the small blue Gem in a resigned tone. "She…said that Gems with eye placements are supposed to be able to see." Replied Rose, before asking as gently as she could "Sapphire…are you defective?"

Sapphire looked up in her general direction but didn't meet her gaze. "Yes." Rose looked down at her as sympathetically as she could. She knew that Sapphire's past had, like her own, been traumatic, but she had been completely blind to this particular facet of it. "Do you… want to talk about it?" Rose asked gently.

Sapphire thought for a moment before deciding that, now that Rose knew, she might as well hear the full story. "Every once in a while" Sapphire began, "a Gem with an eye placement emerges with a flaw which causes their gem to fully replace the eye instead of merging with it like it's supposed to. For Gems like Rubies, this isn't an issue; they have another eye to fall back on after all. For a Sapphire though… it left me completely reliant on my future vision to even get from place to place."

Rose was stunned. "How did you manage to keep that a secret?" she asked. "If Blue Diamond had found out she would have had you shattered and replaced."

"I know" replied Sapphire, looking down at the floor. "That's why I made sure no-one knew. Everything back on Homeworld was predictable enough that my future vision was flawless. I was able to conduct myself well enough that none of the other Gems ever suspected that I couldn't see. The Crystal Gems made things more difficult when they disrupted Homeworld's status quo, but even then I managed to keep my cover. I didn't lose my future vision completely until the Diamonds made peace with Earth. That's… when I came to Facet 31." Rose remembered that day well. The day that a lost, blind Sapphire had wandered into Facet 31's underground hideout; the day Rose had walked over to her, brushed aside her fringe and become the first person to ever see her gem; the day Rose had, for better or worse, given her a new purpose.

"And… why didn't you tell me?" asked Rose "even after I knew that you were blind, you never told me that it wasn't _supposed _to be that way." Rose wasn't sure how to feel about Sapphire having hidden her condition. On one hand, she was hurt that Sapphire hadn't felt able to open up to her; but on the other, she knew that Sapphire had been right not to be fully comfortable around her. "I didn't know what you would think" said Sapphire, intently observing a patch of floor. "Everything we… everything Facet 31 was doing, was to bring back the old ways; cast out the fusions and off-colours that the Diamonds had welcomed into our society. I didn't think… I didn't think you'd want me anymore if you had known that I was like them." Sapphire's lip trembled as she recounted her feelings. Rose simply stood and listened in silence, unsure of what to say. Would she really have abandoned Sapphire if she had known she was defective? She regretted that she couldn't rule it out. Until the Crystal Gems had intervened, she and Sapphire had both overlooked the hypocrisy of Facet 31's mission; the fact that it brought together Gems of every caste in a mission to re-erect the walls between those very castes. Who could say what would have happened if they had discovered a defective Gem in their midst?

"I wanted things on Homeworld to go back to the way they had been" Sapphire continued, still trembling with emotion. "Part of that was because I wanted to rebuild the reputation of Sapphires after the perma… after _Garnet_ was created, but another part was that I wanted to be able to disguise my condition again. I never thought I'd actually end up changing so much that I didn't want to go back to my old life." Sapphire cracked a subtle smile as she spoke that last thought. She hadn't thought fondly of her time with Facet 31 in what felt like an eternity. It had ended so badly that she had forgotten how much the experience had improved her as well. Even if she did reacquire full access to her future vision, she doubted that she could go back to her old life now. She wasn't sure what the alternative was yet, but now that she and Rose were beginning to piece their relationship back together, she had to believe that whatever they did would be better than their pasts had been.

Catching her smile, Rose knelt down to look her in the face. "Facet 31 changed both of us. In good _and _bad ways. I still regret a lot of stuff from back then, but… I think I'm glad about where we are now at least." Rose knew that what she had said was as much for her own benefit as Sapphire's. She wanted desperately to be able to tell herself that what she had done to Sapphire could be fixed one day; that they could both be happy again.

"Yes" replied Sapphire quietly. "I think I am too." Rose's eyes welled up at the small hint of forgiveness. She would have reached out and hugged Sapphire on the spot, but she knew that wasn't where they were yet. "Still" said Sapphire, her face falling slightly as she looked off into space and began to think "I'm not sure what I'm going to do now. Homeworld didn't care enough to look into me, but the Crystal Gems always pry into other peoples' issues; it seems to be their thing. I'm not sure how long I can keep my condition hidden."

"Well… maybe you shouldn't try to" said Rose tentatively. "No-one in the Crystal Gems is gonna shatter you for being different." "If anything," she added with a smirk "it might make them like you more." Steven and his entourage _did_ seem to be inexplicably drawn to any Gem who even remotely broke the mould, so it was a fairly safe guess that they would offer Sapphire their support; assuming she was willing to seek it. Sapphire's face relaxed, and Rose sensed that she had brought her at least some of the way round. "You're probably right" said Sapphire with a weak smile. Not too long ago, Sapphire would have been irritated at the idea of another unsolicited counselling session from the Crystal Gems, but somehow, her talk with Garnet had made the prospect seem more attractive. "Is it alright if we finish our…outing for now? I think I need some time to think."

"Of course" replied Rose sympathetically. From anyone else, Sapphire might have found her tone patronising, but she knew that Rose was just trying to preserve what little of their bond they had managed to rebuild. Sapphire made sure to give Rose a smile she left, before heading up to her preferred thinking spot on the hill above the temple. She wasn't sure yet whether she could open up to someone else about her sight (indeed, she hadn't even _meant_ for Rose to find out), but she decided that she would do it sooner or later. If the last few weeks had taught her anything, it was that burdens weren't meant to be carried alone.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Well there you have it. The shocking truth about Sapphire that I definitely didn't come up with just after finishing 'Missing Peace' when I remembered that  
the way I'd written Sapphire wasn't how eye gems worked in the show. Still, I'm hoping to spin it into some interesting character growth in the coming chapters.  
What are you guys thinking of the story so far? Any feedback is appreciated. Until then, I'll see you in the next chapter!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Steven dived for the ball as it shot towards the sand following an impressive hit from Snowflake. The towering Gem had, rather predictably, shown quite an aptitude for beach volleyball, and Steven had been one of the few people brave enough to actually try to intercept her shots. Steven's team had both Bismuth and Garnet to balance things out in terms of power, while Snowflake was teamed with Crazy Lace and an Ocean Jasper whose name Steven couldn't yet remember on-command.

Steven knocked the ball upwards with both fists, teeing it up for Garnet, who sent it rocketing over the net. Crazy Lace narrowly managed to reach it, knocking it high into the air over Steven's side of the field. Steven grinned as the ball came closer; it was time to show off the move he'd been working on. Jumping multiple times his height, he positioned himself in front of the ball. "OK; here goes: Boomeraaaaang Ball!" he shouted, smacking the ball back with enough speed to send it into the sand before Snowflake's team had a chance to react. As he drifted back down, he high-fived Garnet and Bismuth. "Nice job Steven" said Garnet "but there was nothing really boomerang-y about that. It just went in a straight line."

"Yeah, and even if there had been, wouldn't that have been a bad thing?" asked Bismuth. "Isn't the whole point that we _don't _want the ball to come back to our side?" Steven smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, the name's more for cool-factor than accuracy." Garnet and Bismuth simply chuckled in response, and followed Steven as he headed to the balcony for some water. As Steven took a bottle and plonked himself down into one of the chairs, his gaze shifted towards the boardwalk. Garnet noticed his face fall slightly as he did. It was so subtle that few would have picked it up, but she had known him for long enough to be able to notice the slightest change in his demeanour. "You're thinking about Rose and Sapphire" she stated matter-of-factly. Steven knew better than to deny it. "I hope their day out is going well" he said, looking up at Garnet. "They were both so sad before. I can tell that they want to hang out again, but what if I'm pushing them back together before they're ready?"

"Steven" said Garnet earnestly, leaning down and cupping Steven's face between her palms, "you've always been an excellent judge of peoples' feelings. You pushed Greg and Pearl together when they had issues to work out, and you did the same when Pearl and _I _weren't speaking, and it turned out for the best both times. From what Sapphire said to me, I think you did the right thing here too." Steven perked up slightly in response, rewarding Garnet with the broad smile she liked seeing as often as possible.

"Hey" shouted the Ocean Jasper from down the beach with a smile. "Are we playing or what?!"

"Coming!" shouted Steven, now fully perked up. Within a minute the game had started back up, and Snowflake was more eager than ever to get a win. Her shots came with so much force now that even Steven was thinking twice about getting in the way of them. As the latest volley shot his way, Bismuth slapped it back, her hand shifted into a hammer for extra power. It was enough to catch Snowflake off guard. The massive Obsidian hit the ball far too high, and with enough force that it flew high over the net, beyond the beach, and into the forest on the other side of the boardwalk. "Eheheh…oops" chuckled Obsidian nervously, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment. "Don't worry about it Snowflake" said Steven. "Us Gems don't know our own strength sometimes. Garnet, do you know where the ball went?"

Garnet stared off into space silently. The almost imperceptible shimmer that ran across her visor was the only giveaway that she was using her future vision. "Found it" she said after a few seconds, before beginning to walk off, presumably to retrieve the ball. "I'll help!" Steven piped up, jogging after Garnet as she left. He knew that she didn't really need any help, but truthfully he welcomed the opportunity to continue their conversation from earlier. They were going via the boardwalk too, so he figured that if he was lucky he might even get a glimpse of Rose and Sapphire along the way. Unfortunately, he had no such luck. As he and Garnet passed the boardwalk, he saw plenty of Humans and uncorrupted Gems making their way in and out of various shops, but he saw no sign of Rose and Sapphire. Steven made a mental note to catch up with the two of them later, and started considering convenient times to see them. He chuckled to himself when he realised that he was all but booking an appointment in his head. "I really _am _turning into a counsellor aren't I?" he laughed under his breath.

Garnet smiled to herself as she heard Steven chuckling behind her. She knew that he was still concerned for Rose and Sapphire, as she herself was, but she was glad to see that it wasn't making him too worried. She had hoped that, with the fight against the Diamonds over, Steven would be able to stop shouldering other peoples' problems quite so much. She realised now though that that was never going to happen. Worrying about other peoples' feelings was just in Steven's nature; it was what made him so brilliant; it was what made him better than the last person to bear his gem. Sometimes, that meant that he carried more burdens than he should, but that was just who he was. Besides, she and the other Crystal Gems were there to back him up if it ever became too much.

The pair wandered into the forest which bordered Beach City, with Garnet leading the way in deliberate fashion, already knowing that the ball was in a clearing not too far from their position. Steven was following a bit more playfully, stopping occasionally to watch an animal or take in a pleasant view, but he still kept up with her easily, his boundless energy seemingly undented by an extended game of volleyball. "Alright Steven" Garnet called back to him as she reached the clearing. "The ball's right-" Garnet stopped as she emerged into the clearing. The ball was exactly where she had seen that it would be, give or take a centimetre. What Garnet hadn't foreseen was what else would be there. Sat in the clearing, propping itself up on three small landing struts, was a Roaming Eye.

Steven bumped into Garnet's back as he caught up with her, having not expected her to stop so suddenly. "Woah! Garnet, what's...?" Peering around Garnet's hips, Steven caught sight of the ship. "A Roaming Eye? What's one doing here? Are some Homeworld Gems visiting or something?" Steven was somewhat surprised; it had been agreed that Homeworld Gems would avoid coming to Earth unannounced, given how high tensions were running between Homeworld and Earth. It seemed strange that the Diamonds would break that agreement. Then again, Gems _were _allowed to roam freely within the confines of Beach City; a concession that had been made by Earth's governments which had been intended to allow the uncorrupted Gems to lead normal lives on Earth. Steven doubted that the decision had been made with the intention of more Gems arriving, but word of Earth had been spreading like wildfire across Homeworld since the beginning of Era 3, so it certainly wasn't out of the question that more Gems might come to visit, or even set up home.

"I don't know why it's here" Garnet said matter-of-factly, hiding the trepidation she felt. "I didn't see it when I used my future vision." Garnet's miraculous power had one limitation: it bombarded her with so many possible futures, that it was impossible to take them all in. All she could hope to do when she used her power was to sort them by probability; an easy task, as the likelihood of a given future tended to correspond to the clarity with which she saw it. However, this did mean that less probably events could catch her by surprise, such as the appearance of the Roaming Eye. Throughout her time on Earth, Garnet had always had visions of Homeworld ships showing up, looking for her and her friends. Even after the end of the war, it had remained an unlikely yet distinctly possible outcome, so her future vision had always been plagued by at least one outcome involving an unexpected ship. She had learnt over the years to ignore or filter out these possibilities, as they virtually never came to pass. Today though, seemed to be an exception. Internally, she chastised herself for her carelessness. If the war hadn't been over, such an oversight could have put the others in danger. As it stood though, it was likely just some sightseers with a nebulous regard for Earth's privacy.

"Well, only one way to find out I guess" said Steven, walking towards the ship. Garnet made sure to use her future vision this time, and, sensing no danger on board the ship, followed behind him. As Steven and Garnet walked through the open hatch, they were met by an interior that was much the same as every other Roaming Eye; a deceptively spacious bridge with bright orange walls, lined with low-to-the-ground consoles intended for use by Rubies. What they weren't met by however, was any sort of crew. The ship was completely deserted, and, judging from the lack of the distinctive electronic hum that usually typified all Gem technology, powered down. "Hmm" said Steven, scratching his chin "guess they already headed out into the city." Garnet glanced over to him. "We should probably get out there and track them down" she said in a calm but serious tone. "The people of Beach City may be used to Gems, but a bunch of Rubies with no idea of Earth's laws running about could still cause some trouble." Steven silently nodded in agreement, and the pair headed back outside. "I'll ask a few of the others to come and help move it once we're home" Garnet remarked as they headed back through the forest, volleyball in-hand. "We can't just leave a functional Roaming Eye sitting around where Humans could run into it." Steven nodded again, thinking back to his misguided attempt to operate Peridot's escape pod. Even a small Gem ship could do a lot of damage if it wasn't properly operated… or even if it _was _for that matter. What if an innocent Human stumbled across it? What if _Onion _found it? Steven shuddered as he considered the possibility, and picked up his pace; the sooner they got that ship somewhere safe, the better.

As he and Garnet emerged back onto the boardwalk, Steven finally caught sight of Rose. He had actually forgotten about her for a moment, what with the Roaming Eye and all, but his thoughts quickly returned to her situation as soon as he noticed her. She was sat alone on a bench, looking out over the beach. His stomach dropped; the fact that she was alone probably wasn't a good sign. "Um…Garnet? Would you mind heading back to the house on your own?" Garnet glanced over at Rose and immediately understood. "Sure thing. You just leave the ship to me, and go do what you do best, _counsellor_." Steven shot her a mock scowl, which she answered with a smirk, before strolling off back to the beach house.

Now alone on the beach, Steven wandered cautiously over to Rose. Various questions played in his head to explain why she was sitting around on her own. Had her day out with Sapphire gone badly? If so, which of them had called it off? Rose noticed his approach as he got closer, turning her head to face him and giving him a meek smile. She didn't look too depressed, which Steven took as a good sign at least. "Hey Rose" he said as he sat down on the bench beside her. "You ok? How… how did it go?" Rose gave a small sigh and looked out towards the water again. "I'm not sure. I think it went well; I mean; we had a good time and everything. It's just…"

"Just...?" Steven pried.

"Sapphire… has some things she needs to work out right now; besides the stuff with me I mean" Rose replied. Steven wasn't sure what to make of that. Sapphire had seemed to have enough on her plate with just the tension between her and Rose. The idea that she might be shouldering another issue was concerning. Too much pressure could crack even the strongest Gem, and Sapphires didn't exactly fit that definition. "Do you know where she is?" he asked. "I'm sure if we talk it out she'll-"

"Steven" Rose interrupted, holding up a hand to indicate that he'd said enough. "I know your natural urge is to be everyone's therapist, and Sapphire and I both really appreciate what you've done for us, but please, leave Sapphire be for now. This is something that she only shares with people when she has to. If and when she's ready, she'll come to you. Until then, I think it's best if we both give her space."

Steven nodded meekly in reply. He knew full well that this was hurting Rose a lot more than it was hurting him. The fact that she was being so respectful of Sapphire's boundaries despite obviously wanting intensely to be with her showed just how far she had come in a few short weeks. "Ok, I'll leave her to it for now. But if things get too much for her, you let me know, ok?" Steven said the words with kindness, but also with enough force to make it clear that the point was non-negotiable. "Ok, ok" said Rose, chuckling and throwing up her hands. "I'll make sure she doesn't get in over her head." With that established, the two of them turned their heads back to the sea, watching as the tiny waves rippled against the shore. "Hey" said Steven, "I don't suppose you could use some company for the day? Garnet's handling some Gem stuff, so I'm pretty sure my volleyball game just got cancelled." He was making the request as much for her as for himself. He was sure that, as much as things had improved between Rose and Sapphire that day, both Gems still had a long way to go, and they would need all the companionship they could get along that journey.

Rose looked down at him with a smile so warm that it conjured visions of his mother's portrait on the beach house wall. "I think I'd like that Steven."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**Homeworld, Sapphire Kindergarten, 6000 years ago:**

Peridot 3FG glanced around the tiny blue valley around her. Homeworld's last remaining Sapphire kindergarten was a small affair; there were so few resources left on the planet of late that most of the empire's Gem production had long since been shifted to colony worlds. Gems that were only needed in small quantities though, such as Sapphires and Pearls, were still produced on-world. Most days, the kindergarten didn't see much use; the Diamonds rarely needed new Sapphires after all. However, one of Blue Diamond's Sapphires had recently been shattered in a cave-in on the Kyanite colony. Said Sapphire had failed to predict the accident, so as far as 3FG was concerned, it wasn't exactly much of a loss. Nonetheless, Blue Diamond had requested a replacement Sapphire, and so 3FG had been spending the last few days monitoring the soon-to-be soothsayer's incubation. It wasn't the most stimulating work, so she breathed a sigh of relief as the hole she was monitoring began to glow, and released its inhabitant in a puff of smoke.

Sapphire was awake. She had never been 'awake' before. It was a strange sensation. She had all the knowledge of what to expect programmed into her, but the experience itself didn't seem to quite match up. She had anticipated that it would get much brighter once she emerged from her hole, but it remained pitch black. Puzzled, she used her future vision. Doing so gave her a perfectly clear view of the kindergarten around her, and the disgruntled green Gem who would shortly be coming to greet her. Yes, clearly this vision meant that someone would turn the lights on in a moment. She was quite surprised therefore when she heard the Peridot's greeting while the kindergarten was still in complete darkness. "OK new Sapphire; I see that your physical form seems to be in order. Welcome to Homeworld I guess."

"Huh? Oh…yes, thank you." Sapphire replied. She had seen the Peridot approach in her future vision, so she knew exactly where to look when conversing with her, but that didn't change the fact that she couldn't actually _see _her. Then it hit her: the Peridot had been examining her physical form; the engineer could see her just fine. Panic coursed through Sapphire as she realised what this meant: there was nothing wrong with the lights; _she _was the only one who couldn't see. For a split second, she considered reporting the defect there and then. A flaw such as hers was unacceptable, and the best course of action would be for her to be shattered, and her minerals used to grow a replacement Sapphire. For some reason though, she couldn't bring herself to speak up. It was as though a voice in her head was saying "Be quiet. If you stay quiet you'll get to live." Gems weren't supposed to think for themselves, or prioritize their own wellbeing, but Sapphire found herself overcome by the inexplicable desire to survive. So, she played her part well, using her future vision to feign eyesight until the Peridot finished her checks. "Well, looks like you're good to go. I trust you can make your own way to Blue Diamond's court" said the Peridot, clearly disinterested in the prospect of being a tour guide. "Yes, I'll be fine, thank you" said Sapphire, walking out of the kindergarten as quickly as she could while still appearing calm. From that moment on, her mind was made up: she would keep her condition secret from the entirety of Homeworld; she would survive.

* * *

**Beach City, present day:**

Sapphire stood silently in the Galaxy Bakery, leaning against the side wall. The little store didn't have any internal seating, and there wasn't anything else she wanted to buy, but she found the atmosphere of the place comforting for some reason. She stared solemnly down at the two paper bags in her hands, each containing a pastry she'd bought that morning. What with everything that had happened at the arcade, she hadn't even remembered to give Rose the one she'd bought for her. While Sapphire's face was an inscrutable mask, internally she was still reeling from what had happened. The previous day, she had been questioning whether to even speak to Rose again, and now she had not only done that, but had also let Rose in on her biggest secret. She had never told anyone that she was defective, and in the space of a single conversation, that Nephrite had unintentionally blown her whole charade wide open.

She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice Lars emerge from the back room. "Oh! Hey again" he said as he spotted her. Sapphire jumped slightly. She was used to being caught off guard these days, what with the disruption of her future vision, but being so lost inside her own head had made her extra jumpy. "Oh. Hello there" she replied timidly. "I apologise for loitering in your store. I just…like it here." Lars smiled and waved his hand dismissively. "Pssh, it's no big deal. You're welcome to stay as long as you want; we _are_ open 24/7 after all." Turning his gaze back to her, his face fell slightly when he noticed the bags she was carrying. "Oh, you've…still got those pastries from earlier. There wasn't something wrong with them was there?"

"Huh...? Oh, no no; I'm sure they're lovely" Sapphire quickly responded. "I just… didn't get a chance to share them with the person I had planned to. I've… got a lot on my mind today." She wasn't quite sure why she was revealing even the vague details to some random human baker, but it did feel somewhat cathartic. "Oh, that's ok" replied Lars sympathetically. "Like I said, you can hang out here as long as you need. I'll leave you to it; I gotta get in the kitchen and get cookin' anyway." Lars turned to leave, but just as he was about to head through the kitchen door, Sapphire called after him. She hadn't intended to, but somehow the words just…came out. "Wait!"

Lars looked back over his shoulder. "Everything ok?"

"Um…" Sapphire began tentatively. "The Gems who work here with you; they're…defective, right?" Lars raised an eyebrow, and tried not to look too offended. "Well, that's not exactly the word we'd use for it, but they're different, if that's what you mean." Sapphire nodded emphatically. "Yes, of course. I apologise. I was just wondering; could I perhaps…talk to one of them? I remember seeing a conjoined Rutile, perhaps they-"

"Captain Lars!" a high-pitched voice rang out through the building as a small orange Sapphire peeked over the counter separating the kitchen and the store. "I've just been blessed with a wondrous vision! A Homeworld Sapphire is going to ask to talk… to one of us!" Lars chuckled, running his hand through his hair as he did. "Thanks Padparadscha." Sapphire was stunned. She had been hoping that one of the baker's Gem misfits might have some insight into her situation, but this was perfect. "You… have a Sapphire here?!" she asked, unable to contain her surprise. "Sure do!" replied Lars cheerfully. "This is Padparadscha: my former technical advisor and current assistant store manager." Padparadscha gave a cheery wave. Sapphire turned to her. "Nice to meet you. You're def-… different too?" Padparadscha's face fell and she nodded silently. Noticing the change in her mood, Lars stepped in for her. "Padparadscha's power works differently from other Sapphires'. She predicts the past instead of the future… and she can't control when the visions come to her, so sometimes she's a bit behind everyone else."

"I see" said Sapphire in a sympathetic tone, stroking her own chin. "Padparadscha" she said, turning back to her orange counterpart, "could I perhaps have a moment of your time? I'd like to talk about… about being a Sapphire." Padparadscha looked surprised, almost taken aback at the suggestion. "You…want to talk to me? I might not be very helpful, especially if I start having visions. Wouldn't you get better advice from Garnet's Sapphire?" Sapphire shook her head. "Not about what I want to discuss. I'd rather talk to you… if that's ok." Padparadscha's face instantly transformed into a beaming smile. "Ok then! I'll help however I can!" She bolted for the shop door before freezing, turning to Lars, and asking "Um… Captain? May I have some time off?" Lars chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Just get outta here ya doofus."

Padparadscha's face lit up in response once again, as she grabbed Sapphire by the hand and led her out of the shop. Sapphire had to jog to keep up with the excitable orange Off Colour, and within moments they had reached a secluded patch of the boardwalk. The pair sat down, their little legs dangling over the edge, not quite reaching the sand below. Sapphire took a deep breath, working up the courage to say what she needed to say. She couldn't believe she was going to reveal her secret to yet another Gem, but she knew she had to face it one day, and she could think of no one better to talk to about it than another defective Sapphire. "So…" she began, steeling herself "I asked to speak to you because we're both… well… defective; if you don't mind me using the word. Your defect is with your future vision and mine…" she lifted her fringe, revealing her Gem to Padparadscha "is with my normal vision." Padparadscha didn't respond, but seemed to be listening intently, which Sapphire took as her cue to continue. "Eye gems aren't supposed to impair a Gem's sight, but mine does. I'm completely blind without my future vision. I hid it from everyone on Homeworld for centuries, but this planet is so unpredictable… I just don't think I can do that here."

Padparadscha gasped theatrically, her hands on her cheeks. "You have a defect?!" Sapphire couldn't help but chuckle slightly in response. This conversation was clearly going to be a challenge with her orange counterpart's frequent delays, but she supposed that if she was going to ask Padparadscha to deal with her issues, it was only fair to do the same in return. "Yes" she continued, politely acting as though the Off Colour's comment had come at the intended point in the conversation. "And since you have one as well, I was hoping to ask you… How do you deal with it?" Padparadscha paused for a moment. Whether she had stopped to think or was simply being delayed again Sapphire couldn't tell, but she was willing to wait either way. "Well…" said Padparadscha "I suppose I try to not let it affect my life too much."

"What do you mean?" asked Sapphire, thinking to herself that the advice sounded much easier said than done. "I mean that I try to be useful despite my…visions" Padparadscha replied, briefly looking down at the floor as she uttered the final word. "I think that… if I can be useful enough to my friends, it makes up for all the times they have to wait for me. They're always there whenever _I_ need _them_, so I have to be their whenever _they_ need _me_. That way, I can prove that my defect doesn't control me." The small orange Gem clenched her hand into a fist resolutely as she spoke. Sapphire would never have guessed that such intensity lay under such a cheerful, bubbly exterior. More than that though: she felt the weight of those words. Padparadscha had been pushing herself so hard to make sure that her defect never held her back, even if that meant revealing it to the world. Sapphire wished that she could have even half of that courage.

"I don't know you very well, but I'm sure you have friends who'll be there for you too" said Padparadscha, putting a hand on Sapphire's shoulder and snapping her out of her reflection. "I predict that one of them will try very hard to make up for what went wrong in the past." Sapphire simply sat open-mouthed, unsure of how to even respond. She knew that Padparadscha's prediction, albeit delayed, was correct. Rose hadn't always been there for Sapphire, but she was trying to make amends for that now. Sapphire clenched her own fist now; she wasn't about to let some defect get in the way of the life she wanted to have; for herself, and for Rose. "Thank you Padparadscha" Sapphire said with a smile. "I think I understand now." Padparadscha returned her smile. "You're welcome fellow Sapphire" she said. "Apparently being a space pirate taught me more than I had realised."

"Wait…" said Sapphire, suddenly caught by surprise, "you were a space pirate?" The rest of their day was spent by Padparadscha regaling Sapphire with stories of her adventures across the stars.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Rose knew that she should probably stop pacing. She was wearing a circular groove into the floor of her room, and while she was sure the Crystal Gems' Bismuth could easily repair it, she didn't want to impose on them just because she couldn't keep her own nerves in check. She had been pacing back and forth for the last few hours. Though she had tried to keep herself preoccupied with other things, like spending the day with Steven, she had found herself completely unable to stop thinking about Sapphire. Now, Steven had been called away to deal with some sort of business, and she'd been left entirely alone with her thoughts. She knew her former comrade needed some space to think about what had happened at the arcade, but knowing that didn't make her worry any less. She knew from experience that sulking in solitude wasn't all that helpful, no matter how attractive a prospect it seemed.

She was about to resume her pacing, despite her every intention to the contrary, when she heard a knock on the door. In her brief confusion, she simply stared at the door for a moment. No-one had ever knocked on her door before; even Steven had been respectful enough not to seek her out when she was in her private space. Had someone come looking for her? Or were they looking for any one of the hundreds of other Gems whose rooms were all accessible via the same magic door? How did that work anyway? Was this person knocking on every door at once, or could the temple tell who they were looking for? Before she could explore this line of questioning further, the knocking became more intense. Deciding that if no one else was answering she might as well do it herself, she swung open her door, and found herself staring down once again into Sapphire's face.

"Hello Rose" said Sapphire with a tangible hint of nervousness behind her level tone. "Are you… doing anything tonight?"

"I, uh….." Rose trailed off in an undignified manner. Internally she admonished herself for acting in such a way. She had been thinking about what she would say to Sapphire the next time they saw each other for _hours_; how was she speechless _now_?!

"It's just…" Sapphire interjected into the dead air, "I've done some thinking, and talked things out with a friend, and I believe I am less troubled than I was this morning. I would be eager to pick up where we left off… if that's alright with you."

Rose's dumbfounded face masked the explosion of joy that was occurring inside her. "Uh…. Yes. Yes! I'd love that!" she finally managed to blurt out. "Where would you like to go?"

"Come" said Sapphire, her tone slightly more at ease now that her offer had been accepted. "I'll show you."

The pair left the beach house and walked along the coast towards the city, until they were able to turn inland and begin climbing the hill which led to the lighthouse. It was already late evening, and the last bands of light from the setting sun were beginning to fall below the horizon. All the way, Rose regarded Sapphire curiously as they walked. Just what 'friend' had Sapphire spoken to? Rose couldn't think of anyone, human or Gem, to whom Sapphire would have ascribed that term; much less anyone she would share her secret with. Garnet perhaps? Sapphire and the fusion _had_ been talking a lot lately. Even then though, it seemed an uncharacteristically familiar term coming from Sapphire. Regardless, if whoever it was had helped Sapphire come to terms with her condition, then Rose was happy.

After a short walk up the hill, during which Rose had to walk unnaturally slowly to stay in pace with Sapphire's tiny strides, the pair made it to the edge of the cliff above the temple. Sapphire set herself down as close to the edge as felt safe, and lay on her back in the grass. "Is this the place?" Rose asked with as little incredulity as she could manage. She hadn't been sure where Sapphire had been leading her, but she had been expecting something a little more involved than a field. Still, she wasn't about to complain; the fact that Sapphire was spending time with her at all still felt like more than she deserved.

"Yes" replied Sapphire as she lay looking up at the sky. "This is my favourite place in Beach City. I come here when I need to think, or when I just want my future vision to be a bit clearer. Feel free to have a seat."

"Oh, ok" replied Rose sheepishly, gently sitting herself down next to Sapphire. After a few moments of awkward silence, Rose spoke up again. "So… what do you normally think about when you're up here?"

Unseen by Rose in the low light, Sapphire tensed slightly. Truthfully, most of her nights looking up at the sky had been spent mainly thinking about Rose; about both the good and bad parts of their time together. Not wanting to broach that particular topic though, she chose to simply reply "I usually just watch the stars. Their movements are very predictable. It's… comforting for me."

"Oh" replied Rose empathetically. "I suppose it would be." Another awkward pause followed, and after a few moments Sapphire became exasperated enough to overcome a portion of her own nervousness. "Oh for goodness' sake Rose, lie down" she said in a tone which, had she been able, would have been accompanied by an eye roll. "I wouldn't have asked you to come with me if I didn't want you here." Rose felt her face heat up, and was grateful that the cover of darkness was masking her obvious blush. Wordlessly, she lay back, shuffling down a little so that her head was level with Sapphire's. She was easily three times Sapphire's height, so her legs extended almost to the edge of the cliff. Taking a few deep breaths, she tried to keep her gaze on the stars as much as possible. Every once in a while though, her eyes would flit back to Sapphire and a new wave of uncertainty and embarrassment would wash over her. If she had had a heart, she was certain it would have been pounding. Fortunately she had no need of such a thing, so she was spared at least that particular discomfort.

While Sapphire was the most prominent thing on her mind, Rose had to admit that the view was indeed quite pleasant from up on the cliff. She had spent most of her nights on Earth sequestered in her room since her return, and all her time on Earth before that had been spent with her attention solely on her duties. She had never really looked at the stars before. Oh, she'd looked at them from space of course; she remembered well the hours she spent staring out of the viewing port of the Human Zoo, but she had been so preoccupied by the hatred she felt towards Earth that she had never paid the beauty of the cosmos much mind. Besides, the stars looked less impressive from space; there was something about the way they twinkled when their light was filtered through a planet's atmosphere that was particularly pleasing to the eye.

Rose was snapped out of her stargazing by the sensation of a tiny, cold hand gripping onto one of her fingers. Her head snapped round to face Sapphire, who despite her grip was still looking up at the sky. Rose was considering what to say when something about the situation struck her. Sapphire's hand wasn't just cold; it was _really_ cold. Gems didn't feel temperature anywhere near as much as humans, so it was causing her no discomfort, but Rose could tell that this was more than Sapphire's usual cool touch. Glancing down at her hand, she could see the moonlight glinting off the tiny ice crystals which were beginning to crawl up her finger, and feel the gentle trembling of the small blue Gem's hand as it clung to hers. "Sapphire…" Rose asked with gentle hint of concern "are you… scared?"

Sapphire considered what to say for a moment. She had wanted to spare Rose's feelings; to make the night less awkward for both of them, but it was clear now that if they were ever going to get anywhere, everything needed to be out in the open. Taking a deep breath to steel herself, she turned to look Rose in the eyes. "Yes… yes I suppose I am scared." Seeing the hurt look on Rose's face, she quickly added "Don't take this the wrong way; I'm glad we're doing this, and I want you to be here. It's just… those 'flashes' I talked about; they haven't gone away. Being around you brings those memories back to the surface, especially when we… when we actually touch." As Rose's expression turned from one of pain to one of solemn understanding, Sapphire took on a more confident tone and turned her gaze back to the sky. "But I don't want it to be that way forever; I want to be comfortable holding your hand again" she continued. "That's part of the reason I wanted us to come up here. I need to get used to being close to you again; to actually _touching _you. If I can't do that…." She chose to let that sentence go without a conclusion. "Look, it's going to take me a while until I'm completely comfortable again, but I want to make it work. I hope you don't think that how I'm acting means that I don't think you've changed."

Rose fought to keep her composure as tears streamed down her face, glinting in the moonlight. The fact that Sapphire was putting herself through so much stress to spend time with _her_, after all she had done, was almost too much to bear. She felt wholly unworthy of the effort, but she couldn't deny how happy it made her, no matter how much guilt that happiness was tinged with. After taking a moment to compose herself, she gently squeezed Sapphire's hand in a manner that she hoped would be comforting rather than intimidating, and replied "I know, and I'm really grateful that you're doing all this. You'd be well within your rights to never speak to me again after what I did, but here you are. So as far as I'm concerned, you can take as long as you need; the fact that you're here at all is enough for me."

Sapphire smiled in response, her tense form relaxing ever so slightly. While her body was still trembling, it was now as much out of exhilaration as it was fear. The pair lay hand-in-hand on the grass for the rest of the night, watching the stars make their transit across the sky. Their predictable movements helped to calm Sapphire's nerves, and keep her future vision working where the unpredictability of recent events would otherwise have blinded her. Whenever one of her memory flashes threatened to surface, she distracted herself by cataloguing the constellations. Every once in a while, contact with Rose became too much for her, and she released the Quartz's hand, but always, after taking some time to compose herself, she would reach out and grab it again. By the time dawn broke and the stars started to fade from view, Sapphire wasn't trembling at all. As she glanced around, she noted that her vision was still unimpaired. She was starting to be able to envision a future which she and Rose could build together; one that had been wholly invisible just a few short days ago.

"I'm so glad we did this" said Rose, staring up at the brightening sky. Her eyes were heavily lidded, though not from tiredness; Gems had no need of sleep after all; but rather from the relaxation of having a massive emotional weight finally lifted from her. "So am I" Sapphire concurred, basking in the feeling of seeing Rose so at ease. Even before their falling out, she had never seen Rose like this. Their time in Facet 31, while fulfilling, had consisted of one battle after another, and even in the downtime between altercations, Rose had always been contemplating the next. Seeing her truly at peace, even for a moment, was a sight that had previously been relegated to the wildest flights of fancy of Sapphire's future vision. For a final few moments, the two lay side-by-side in comfortable silence, before Rose finally sat up. "Well" said the Quartz, stretching to wake her limbs up "I should probably be getting back to the house; Steven's probably wondering where I am."

"Yes, you're probably right" replied Sapphire, regretful that the night was over, but also eager for some time alone to de-stress. "We should do this again soon though."

"Agreed" said Rose with a smile that sent a warm blush across Sapphire's face. There was no darkness to hide it now, but neither of them cared. As they prepared to go their separate ways for the day, they took one last look at their intertwined hands. There was no ice on them at all.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Steven rubbed his eyes as he looked out at the stars twinkling outside his window. On any other night, he would probably have been asleep by now, but tonight he had business to attend to. He had put it off most of the day, electing instead to spend his time with Rose, who had seemed like she'd needed the company after what had happened at the arcade that morning. Now that Rose had returned to her room for the night though, he had decided not to delay any longer. Grabbing his Diamond Line communicator from his bedside table, he headed over to the temple door. The symbol of Steven's Gem emblazoned on the door glowed pink as it opened to reveal his room. Clutching his communicator in one hand, Steven collected his thoughts before stepping across the threshold.

Once the entrance had disappeared behind him, he had the room produce a simple desk and chair. He frowned slightly at the incredibly bare setup, and tapped his chin in thought for a moment. "A little more lumbar support in the chair please." The room quickly granted his request, replacing the wooden seat with a more ergonomically designed office chair. "Hmm…There's still something missing" said Steven, continuing to frown. "Oh! I know!" Moments later, when the room had, at his request, produced one of those executive office toys with the swinging balls, Steven was satisfied. He sat the Diamond line communicator on the desk in front of him as he took his seat. It was pretty convenient being able to use his Gem room at times like this, but at the same time, part of him wished he didn't have to build a private area from scratch every time he needed to talk to the Diamonds. He reflected to himself that he should probably take Bismuth up on her offer of extending the house. Adding that to his mental to-do list, he shifted his focus to the communicator in front of him. He gave the two halves a turn, and the communicator flared into life, summoning a screen in front of him.

Within moments, the faces of the Diamonds began appearing on the screen. Yellow took the longest to answer, having presumably been reluctant to pull herself away from whatever paperwork she was engrossed in at the time. Once all three were assembled though, they beamed at Steven. Even White tended to smile at the sight of him these days. "Steven! This is a nice surprise" said the monochromatic matriarch. "How are you Starlight?"

Steven grinned back at her. "I'm fine, thanks. I wish I could say that I just wanted to catch up with you three, but I'm actually calling on business today." White and Blue tensed slightly as he spoke; these days 'business' usually meant danger of some kind. Yellow meanwhile became visibly more relaxed; she tended to be more comfortable discussing business than pleasantries. Steven wasn't surprised that she was the first to speak up. "What seems to be the problem Steven?" she asked, conjuring a touchscreen with one hand. Steven had to hold back a giggle at Yellow's predictability, but he supressed it and got down to business.

"This morning Garnet and I found a roaming eye parked in the forest. It doesn't belong to the Crystal Gems, so we figured some Homeworld Gems must be visiting. We haven't been able to find any though. Do you guys know if anyone was heading for Earth recently?"

Yellow closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, before replying to Steven in as non-patronising a tone as she could manage. "Steven, do you have any idea how many Gems there are in the empire? It was difficult enough to keep track of them back in Era 2, but now that they all have the freedom to come and go as they please, it's downright impossible. Dismantling the empire is going to take time, and until the reforms are complete things are going to be a bit chaotic up here."

"I understand that" replied Steven sympathetically "and I promise I'll come out there and help you guys out with it soon. There are just a few loose ends I need to tie up on Earth first, and making sure that Beach City is safe is one of them. We don't know if the Gems who brought the ship here are peaceful or not; and even if they are, if they don't know about the situation on Earth, they might not understand why they need to stay in the city. They could leave and end up getting hurt by some frightened humans."

Yellow sighed, her expression softening. "You're right of course; it's important that your planet is safe. I'm sorry we let this slip through the cracks. I'm just not sure what we could do to help."

"Well…" Blue interjected "I suppose would could take an inventory of all our courts' roaming eyes; see if there are any unaccounted for? At least then we'd know if the ship came from Homeworld or from one of the colonies."

Yellow thought for a moment, leaning her chin on her fist. "Hmm, I suppose that would help. It might take a while, what with how short-staffed our courts are these days, but I suppose it's better than doing nothing. I'll pass on the instruction to what's left of my court."

"That's great, thanks guys" said Steven, instantly happier for having made some progress. The Diamonds were doing their best to change, but overhauling a civilisation that had stayed the same for millennia was a daunting task, so Steven wasn't surprised that they needed a little push every now and again. He was about to say his goodbyes when White spoke up again. "So, Steven… how are things going on Earth? Is everything…going well?" It was framed as an innocent question, but all four of them were acutely aware of the meaning behind it. "I'm guessing you're asking about Rose" Steven said flatly. He wasn't offended by their desire to monitor Rose's progress; after all, Rose had come very close to erasing all the progress that he and the Diamonds had worked so hard for. At the same time though, Rose was just trying to live her life now, and he wasn't exactly eager to start divulging the details of said life to people that Rose certainly wouldn't have spoken to of her own free will.

"Yes" admitted White. "How is Rose Quartz… coming along? Has she been giving you any trouble?" Steven pressed down the brief pang of irritation he felt at White's remark. The Diamonds talked about Rose as though she were a problem child that needed supervision; exactly how they had talked about Pink. He quelled his anger with the knowledge that they were probably only asking out of concern for his safety, and that of what was left of the empire. "She's doing fine" Steven replied. "She's still doing some soul searching, but she seems happy."

"Oh, that's good to hear" said White, but Steven could tell from her tone that she wasn't particularly interested in Rose's wellbeing. It wasn't the same cold, smiling apathy that she had displayed when he had first met her; this was different. She spoke now with a straight face, and a wary tone that told him her disinterest likely meant that something else was bothering her; something she felt content to leave unsaid. Steven however had no such contentment; whether the problem was about Rose, or just something personal to the Diamonds, they would all be better off with it out in the open. "What's going on White?" asked Steven with the tone of a disapproving parent. "I can tell when you're not telling me everything."

White looked sheepish for a moment, turning slightly pink and twiddling her hands nervously. Noticing her fellow Diamond's anxiousness, Yellow jumped in. "We're simply concerned about what's going to happen with Rose Quartz going forward. You can't really think that keeping her on Earth indefinitely is sustainable." Steven raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Why not? I've done that with a bunch of other Gems, and some of them are people who tried to destroy the Earth too."

"We understand that Steven" interjected Blue, trying not to sound dismissive, "but don't you think the situation is different now? The Humans know all about the Gems on Earth, and they know about what Rose did too. Keeping her around for too long risks setting off another incident."

"Well, so what?" said Steven, now letting his irritation show slightly. "I'm not gonna tell her that she can't live on this planet just because of how other people might react! She deserves to be able to choose for herself."

"That may be so" said Yellow, once again interjecting herself into the conversation before Blue could become upset by Steven's admonishment, "but just be sure to let her know that, if she _does_ decide to return to Homeworld, she won't be imprisoned, or harmed in any way." Steven was unable to disguise his surprise upon hearing that. As much as he believed that the Diamonds had changed, he had still assumed that, had Rose tried to return to Homeworld, the Diamonds would at least restrict her movement. Era 2 may have been over, but Yellow's penchant for intensive security had survived into Era 3, and this allowance was a rare concession. "Really? You guys are ok with that?" he asked. "Don't misunderstand" Yellow responded, "this isn't exactly my preferred strategy, but the empire isn't as strong as it used to be. If we are to survive in the long term, we need to start extending the… what was that Human saying again?"

"The olive branch, Yellow" Blue volunteered with a smile.

"Ah, yes. That. Anyway, we hope that, provided Rose Quartz has changed as much as you've said, we can be on good terms with her again. Facet 31 may have been disbanded, but many of its former members still idolise her a great deal. As such, she still holds a great deal of influence over more Gems than she realises, and we'd prefer that we weren't on their bad side."

Steven wasn't at all surprised that the Diamonds' desire to make amends came more from a place of political convenience than any desire to make friends; he was acutely aware of whom he was speaking to, but he did find himself impressed that they were able to take even this small step. The Diamonds had ruled an entire galactic empire, so it stood to reason that they were good at seeing the big picture. Their grief over Pink had got in the way of that for the last few thousand years, but with that wound at least partially healed, he could now see first-hand the intelligent, tactical minds that had built said empire. "Ok. I'm glad to hear that. I'll be sure to let her know" he replied with renewed optimism.

"Thank you Steven. That means a lot" White said with a smile. "We'd best be getting back to work, but we'll talk to you again soon."

"Ok, bye guys! Let me know if you find anything out!" said Steven as he moved to close the call. "We love you!" Blue piped up, grinning and waving as she and the other Diamonds disappeared from the screen.

On the Diamonds' end of the call, Steven's face had disappeared from his quarter of the screen, leaving the three rulers of Homeworld still connected on the Diamond line. "I do so enjoy talking to him" said Blue, still bearing a residual smile from the call. "He's so much like Pink, but so surprising at the same time." Yellow gave a simple "mhmm" in confirmation. She had to admit, she did enjoy these talks, even if they usually consisted of Steven imposing his morality on their decisions. "Do you think we did the right thing?" asked White suddenly, "Not mentioning our true reasons for wanting Rose back here I mean?"

Yellow sighed, and stared into the screen to look her fellow Diamonds in the eye. "You know he wouldn't have approved. Steven is an incredible individual, but his moral compass is completely unshakeable. If Gemkind is going to make it through Era 3, we're going to need to do things that he might not always agree with. With that being the case, it's sometimes necessary to keep him out of the loop. If you're feeling bad about it, console yourself with the fact that we're doing this to keep our Gems safe." White looked slightly mollified, but still wore a nervous expression. Blue looked much the same. Both nodded in agreement though, before saying their goodbyes and closing the call. Once the whole screen had gone dark, Yellow turned to look out of her window at the city beneath her, and swore that this time; she would keep her Gems safe.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Rose sat contently in her room as she polished one of her many swords. It had been a couple of hours since she and Sapphire had parted ways at the clifftop, and she was still riding the emotional high. It wouldn't be too long before Steven was awake, and she was eager to tell him about her night, but for now, she was taking advantage of the early morning hours to have some time to herself. As she polished the sword to a splendid shine, she caught a reflection of her own torso in it, the Facet 31 emblem on her chest staring her in the face. She still wasn't sure whether or not she wanted to keep it. On one hand, it came with a lot of bad memories, and earned her a lot of unwanted attention from the uncorrupted Gems. On the other, it was a symbol of her bond with her comrades; a bond that hadn't disappeared even after the organisation had been disbanded.

She quickly received another reminder of times gone by when she heard an electronic tone emanating from her bedside cabinet. Despite already knowing where the noise was coming from, she was nonetheless surprised to hear it. Quickly setting aside the sword and opening the drawer, she took out a small black tablet; her old Facet 31 communicator. When she had surrendered to Steven after the battle of the Human Zoo, she had given a communicator to a few of her closest friends and most trusted generals, so that they could remain in contact no matter where they ended up. She knew that most would be returning to Homeworld, and she had wanted to make sure that they could check in with her if they felt the need, even while she was on Earth. Until this moment, none of them had used the channel she had set up; they were all probably far too busy adjusting to their new lives in Era 3. If one of her comrades had called her now though, she knew she had to be there for them. Opening the message, her eyes widened as she read it:

"Hello 9DS; it's good to speak to you again. I hope you're well on Earth. I've just arrived here myself, and I need to talk to you as soon as possible. I don't know that I'm ready so speak to the Crystal Gems right now; I'd rather deal only with you. If you're willing to talk face to face, meet me in the control room of this planet's Prime Kindergarten as soon as you can. I await your answer; 1NX."

Rose set down the tablet and sat in silence for a moment. One of her comrades was on Earth?! 1NX of all people?! 1NX had been one of Rose's closest friends during Era 1, and had served as her second in command in Facet 31 during Era 3. Other than Sapphire, Rose couldn't think of anyone she was considered a closer friend; and yet, while she felt happy at the prospect of seeing 1NX again, she was also concerned about the reason for her visit. What could be so important that her friend had flown all the way to Earth rather than just tell her over the communications channel? Why be so secretive about the meeting. Had the Diamonds made 1NX a fugitive? Rose wouldn't have put it past them, but she somehow doubted that Steven would have allowed it. Did she simply not trust Earthlings yet? If it was the latter option, Rose couldn't exactly blame her; their past experiences with Earth had been traumatic, and Rose's change in opinion was primarily down to Steven, who as far as she was aware had never spoken to 1NX. She made a mental note that, when she met her old ally face-to-face, she would try to convince her to speak to Steven. Regardless of the reason though, Rose already knew that she had to go immediately. A Gem who had fought alongside her through thick and thin needed her, and she wasn't about to let them down.

* * *

The Prime Kindergarten was draped in its usual foreboding mist when Rose warped in. There was a steady stream of dim light filtering down from above, but it wasn't enough to clear the haze. Trying to shake off the sense of unease that the lifeless canyon had been instilling in her of late, Rose made her way towards the facility which lay beneath it. Before long, she was staring at the green metallic passageway which led down through the floor of the canyon. Every Kindergarten had a similar facility, designed to allow technicians to oversee operations while the Gems they were monitoring incubated. This facility, however, had once had another purpose. Steven had told Rose the stories of how this facility had been used to monitor the Cluster; a colossal geoweapon constructed from the shards of those who fell in the war. While Rose had dabbled in weapons of mass destruction herself, the thought of building one out of corpses made even her shudder. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she willed herself to focus on the task at hand; her friend was waiting for her down below, potentially in need of help. She could not afford to let trepidation cause her to hesitate now.

The facility's elevator wasn't functional, so Rose had to just slide down the entry hatch, but she landed gracefully enough in the corridor below. The low lighting that cast the hallway in a dim green glow was a clear giveaway that the control centre was in low power mode; just as she had suspected. The lack of repairs suggested that no-one had been down there since Steven's last visit. The place had largely been forgotten, making it the perfect location for the two Quartzes to meet, away from prying ears. As she walked, Rose stepped around the shattered rock cores which littered the floor; former incubators for the Diamonds' fusion experiments. As strategically sound a meeting place as it was, this was about the last place on the planet that she wanted to be. She quickened her pace slightly, eager for once in her life to be in the company of another Gem as soon as possible.

It wasn't long before she emerged into the control centre's main chamber. The walls opened out and the ceiling rose considerably as she exited the corridor, making the space feel slightly less suppressive. "1NX! 1NX, are you there?" Rose shouted into the dimly lit room, her powerful voice carrying easily over the low hum of the electronics still operating within the walls. She was relieved when she received a swift reply. "9DS? Is it really you?" 1NX emerged from behind a wall near the far end of the room, a visible mask of relief on her face. Rose had never seen her look that way before, and feared that her suspicions about 1NX being hunted might have been correct. Without thinking, Rose ran over to her and pulled her into a hug. "Woah!" 1NX exclaimed with a giggle that contradicted her rough exterior, "Is this a thing we do now?"

"Oh, sorry" Rose said with a bashful smile. "It's just really good to see you again." 1NX gently raised her fist, placing it against the Facet 31 logo which still emblazoned her own jumpsuit, and replied "and you, old friend". Rose felt a mix of emotions when she noticed that her friend had also opted to keep her Facet 31 uniform, but she supposed she shouldn't have been surprised; the movement had likely meant just as much to 1NX of its members as it had to her. If one were to try to put it in human terms, they might have called it a family. "Now," 1NX continued, snapping Rose out of her reflection, "we need to talk fast. I don't know how much time we have before we're found."

"What do you mean?" Rose interjected, a worried tone creeping into her voice. "Who's trying to find us? If it's not safe for you here, why did you come here in person instead of using our comm line?"

1NX took on a stern, determined expression. "This place isn't safe for _either _of us. I came to see you in person because I need you to come back with me; back to Homeworld."

* * *

Garnet's chamber was bathed in an orange glow by the lava which sat in a large pool in the centre, and flowed through small channels in the floor. The air rippled as heat radiated upwards, but the room's sole occupant was undisturbed. Garnet sat in a meditative pose, taking a brief moment to glance around at her surroundings. She smiled slightly at the absence of the multi-coloured bubbles which had once dotted the ceiling; their occupants now uncorrupted and living freely again. While it was incredible to have all her old friends back, it had also galvanised her desire to protect the Earth. For this reason, she had been in her room meditating even since she and Steven had got back from the roaming eye, trying to narrow down her future vision enough to find the craft's occupants, or at least give some clue as to what the next few days would bring. So far, she'd seen plenty of timelines, but none had yielded useful information. Either this meant that the new arrivals weren't going to be a major factor within the next few days, or that what was coming was unpredictable enough that she hadn't been able to foresee it yet. The fact that the second option was even a possibility filled her with unease, and compelled her to continue.

Behind her visor, she closed her lower two eyes, opened the third, and returned to her meditation. The timelines snaked in front of her vision like tributaries of a great river, each one ending in a pool with a vision of events yet to come reflected in its waters. Usually, she could traverse these pools with great ease; the act was even soothing at times, provided that the futures in question were benign. Today though, she felt only exasperation. She had been at this for hours; long enough that she was now exploring less and less probable timelines; their tributaries so miniscule that they were practically dry. The visions in these pools had the least clarity, and the events within them were often so absurdist as to be completely divorced from reality. At this point though, Garnet was willing to trawl through them all; the occupants of that roaming eye had to have gone _somewhere_. The idea that they had just disappeared was too unlikely to even feature in its own pool at all.

After another indeterminate stint of frustrating pool hopping, during which she had had to push down Ruby's desire to punch something multiple times, Garnet finally chanced upon a pool whose events caught her eye. As she stared into it, taking in the future it displayed, her eye widened in shock, both at the content of this future, and the rapidity with which it is approaching. There was one key problem with Garnet's future vision: it was coloured by her own perception. Futures appeared likely or unlikely because she considered them so, not necessarily because it was actually true. If a future comes to pass which lay outside her expectations, it often went unpredicted until it was virtually upon her, as was the case with the future she was now witnessing. In an instant, the tributary turned to a raging torrent, and the image in the pool grew so sharp and crisp it was as though she was staring at the events in person. Overcome by a sense of panic at what she saw, and frustration at not having seen it sooner, she managed to blurt out only two short words. "Oh no..." Snapping out of her meditative state and jumping to her feet, Garnet sprinted for her room's exit. She needed to get the others; _now_.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Well, that's the end of the stuff I had pre-written for this story. From now on, I'll be writing it as I go. I'll _try_ to keep to the every-other-day posting schedule, but I can't make that a promise. If the chapters become more sporadic, you know the reason. In the mean time though, why not tell me what you think  
of the story so far? Any reviews are appreciated. That said, I'll see you guys in the next chapter!


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"What?!" Rose replied uncontrollably, recoiling without meaning to. "You want me to come back to Homeworld?"

"Of course!" replied 1NX with a wide, enthusiastic grin. "I've been talking with some of the other Rose Quartz from Facet 31, and we think we've found a good place to regroup, but we didn't want to make a move before you were back."

"Make a move?" Rose replied with a confused expression. "What are you talking about? We disbanded Facet 31; there's nothing to 'make a move' about."

"Oh, please" 1NX scoffed, rolling her eyes. "We may have lost once, but that was never gonna put us down for good. As long as our Gems are still in one piece, we can _always_ keep fighting. I've got dozens of Gems back on Homeworld who have been lying low, waiting for the day you gave the order. Don't tell me you've given up?"

Rose stood slack-jawed for a moment. There were members of Facet 31 who still intended to fight?! Despite how great she had known her comrades' anger to be, the news still came as a surprise. She had always assumed that _she _had been the one giving them the will to fight; that the organisation would evaporate without her. She chided herself for how arrogant that belief had evidently been. She didn't know whether to be proud of their dedication to the cause, or ashamed of their inability to see reason; something even _she _had been capable of despite all her anguish. Either way, it didn't change what her answer was going to be.

"No, 1NX; I didn't _give up_." Rose said with an air of irritation. "I changed my mind. There's a difference. I realised that I'd been fighting to take revenge on a person who didn't exist anymore, and that I'd been hurting the people around me in the process." Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes as she relived her mistakes, but she pressed on, knowing that her comrade needed to hear it. "I wasn't thinking clearly back then 1NX; none of us were. I mean for clod's sake…. I poofed Sapphire. She was more dedicated to me than anyone, and I poofed her for getting in the way of my revenge."

"Ah yes" 1NX replied flatly, the hint of a scowl creeping onto her face. "The Sapphire who was turned against us by a single conversation with a Crystal Gem; the Sapphire who was willing to throw everything we worked for away just so that she could have her happy ending. _Why _are you still dwelling on her? You can't seriously be telling me that you're letting some Sapphire steer you away from the goal we all put our Gems on the line for!"

Rose clenched her fists and stepped towards 1NX. The slightly smaller Quartz, despite her rage, took a slight step back, the tiniest flicker of fear in her eyes. "That's exactly what I'm saying!" Rose shouted, glaring at 1NX through white-hot eyes. "Our goal was suicidal! We were willing to go down in flames as long as we took Pink and the humans out with us; we weren't thinking! All Sapphire and Steven did was pull me back to reality! If you want to put your Gem on the Diamonds' anvil again, be my guest, but I will NOT risk hurting Sapphire again, and I will NOT let you harm Steven's planet!"

1NX looked for a moment as though she was about to erupt into another retort, but almost as soon as her rage had appeared, it died down. She let out a deep breath, and her muscles visibly relaxed. Rose might have calmed down at the sight, had she not noticed the smirk which still played across 1NX's face. "Oh 9DS…" 1NX chided, her earlier warmth utterly absent from her tone, "I had _so_ hoped it wouldn't come to this." 1NX jumped back, coming to a stop against the rear wall of the control room, before reaching her arm into the bundle of large cables which fed the central power crystal. Despite the tension, Rose raised an eyebrow. "What are you-" The remainder of her sentence caught in her throat when 1NX forced the cables aside, and revealed what she had been reaching for. Sat amongst the cables, her arms and legs bound together by glowing cuffs, was Sapphire. The tensed fighting stance that Rose had instinctively slipped into gave way as her she let her arms fall to her sides in shock. "S-Sapphire?" The small blue Gem tried to reply, but her mouth was bound by small green cables. In an instant, the shocked was overcome by her anger, and the fury she had showed moments earlier reasserted itself. Turning back to 1NX, she practically growled her next question. "What the _hell_ do you think you're doing?!"

1NX seemed awfully calm for someone staring down an angry Quartz soldier, her earlier nerves evaporating. Now that she had revealed that she held all the cards, she knew Rose wouldn't just charge at her. Deep down, Rose knew it too, but that didn't stop her from fixing 1NX with a stare that would chill even a Diamond to their core.

"Well…" 1NX finally crooned in reply, "I knew that this Sapphire was your weakness, so I picked her up on my way here, as a means of…insurance. We all saw how you broke down when you dissipated her on the human zoo; frankly it instilled some doubts in a few of our Gems, but I never doubted your abilities for a second. Your dedication maybe, but that's what I'm here to fix."

"What do you mean?" Rose asked through gritted teeth, her body trembling with a rage that she knew she had to hold back.

"I'll put it simply" 1NX said flatly as she summoned her blade from her gem and held it to Sapphire's throat. "If you want this Sapphire to live, you'll come back to Homeworld with me. This planet has poisoned your mind, but once you're back with us, you'll understand that this is all for your own good. Once that's happened, you can have her back."

Rose wanted to reply, but couldn't find the words. She simply couldn't believe what she was hearing. 1NX spoke as though the offer she was making was charitable; as though she couldn't see how twisted it was at all. Rose's eyes flitted to Sapphire. The fact that the soothsayer had a gem instead of an eye often meant that her face was difficult to read, but now, the panic in her expression was all too clear. Rose could see her quivering in 1NX's grip, a blanket of frost creeping out from under her dress. Rose nearly lost control of herself at the sight of it; she had hoped to never see Sapphire undergo trauma like that again.

"Why are you doing this?" Rose asked in a trembling voice. She had meant to sound threatening, but she knew she hadn't been able to disguise the hint of a pleading tone that had crept into her question. "Sapphire was part of Facet 31, just like us. Why would you hurt one of our own?"

1NX rolled her eyes. "The mission comes first. You _used _to know that better than any of us; or did you think that we weren't sacrificing before? You know that all those saboteurs we sent to disable the Diamonds' fleet were likely captured or worse, right?" Rose didn't have a reply for that. She wanted to give some sort of retort, but deep down she knew that, for once that day, 1NX was right. Her guilt over Sapphire had been so great that the fact that she had been using her followers from day one had completely escaped her. If anything though, this only made her more certain that she could never go back to the way she was before. "If you think bringing up my past mistakes is going to make me more inclined to want to do it all over again, you're not as good a tactician as I thought" she shot back at 1NX. Normally, such a remark would have been accompanied by a smirk, but in the face of Sapphire's captivity, she could muster only an intimidating scowl.

1NX seemed unmoved. "Those actions weren't mistakes!" the fanatical soldier shot back. "You were better back then; strong; cunning; fierce. You were a leader that we were all proud to really behind. Now you're willing to throw our entire purpose away just so you can continue your obsession with this Sapphire!"She gestured emphatically at Sapphire with her sword as she spoke. "If using this Sapphire is the only way to get you to come home and make you see sense, then it's worth it. I'd sacrifice any one of our Gems for that, and time was; you would have too!"

Rose stood with her fists clenched, her gaze never leaving 1NX and Sapphire. She had been hoping to bring 1NX around, but she could see now that such a thing was, if not impossible, at least beyond her abilities. If Steven were around, then it might have been possible, but even then she wouldn't have wanted to take the risk while Sapphire was still in 1NX's grasp. She wanted so desperately to run across the room, rip Sapphire from 1NX's grip, and drive her sword through the traitorous Quartz for making Sapphire suffer, but she knew she shouldn't. There was every possibility that she wouldn't be quick enough; that 1NX could harm Sapphire before she got close.

"Well 9DS?" 1NX asked impatiently. "What's your answer? Everyone back home is waiting for you."

Rose sighed, seeing no further chance to resist. Going back to her former allies was the last thing she wanted; if any of them found out about Sapphire's defect, the tiny Gem would be shattered for sure, former comrade or not. Rose had to believe that there was still a way out of this though. Perhaps if she went back to Homeworld, there would be another chance to free Sapphire; to contact the Diamonds somehow. While the thought of speaking to Homeworld's rulers again was unpalatable to her, Rose was willing to do anything to keep Sapphire safe. That all required staying in 1NX's good books until they made it to Homeworld though. Rose opened her mouth to concede to 1NX's request, but before she could speak, she was cut off by a sudden noise.

"Not so fast!"

Rose whirled round as she heard Garnet's booming voice behind her. The fusion charged through the entrance, closely followed by Steven, Amethyst, and Pearl. "Rose!" shouted Garnet, her gauntlets already summoned "we're here to help!"

"I don't think so!" 1NX shouted back with a malicious grin. Raising her arm, she tapped the screen of her small, green, wrist-mounted device; something that, until that moment, Rose had taken no notice of. The instant 1NX tapped the screen, a thick metal bulkhead slid from the ceiling, cutting the Crystal Gems off and leaving them trapped in the entryway. Garnet immediately swung at the barrier, but her gauntlet scarcely made a scratch; this facility had clearly been built with security in mind.

Rose turned to look back at 1NX, who was now wearing a triumphant smirk, and stroking Sapphire's hair in a way that made the small blue Gem whimper in fear. "How did you do that?" Rose asked in disbelief.

"Oh, the bulkhead trick?" asked 1NX nonchalantly. "I had one of Facet 31's old Peridots design this little baby for me." 1NX held up her forearm to brandish the device clasped onto it. "This thing should be able to hack into the systems of any facility that uses the same code as the ones back on Homeworld. As soon as I found out about this place, I suspected it would fit the bill, so I relocated here as soon as I got to Earth; made sure that this would be where we met. In here, I make the rules!"

The Crystal Gems continued to pound on the bulkhead to no avail. As they worked, Steven pressed himself against the transparent section of the barrier and began to shout. The sound was muffled, but still loud enough that all on the other side of the barrier could hear it. "Rose! You don't have to do what she says! There's always another option; you just need to look for it!"

The young hybrid's voice was reassuring, even given the dire nature of the situation. Having said that; Rose couldn't see any way of implementing his advice. What could she possibly do on her own that wouldn't endanger Sapphire? Sapphire… A revelation finally hit Rose; one that, in her panic, she had failed to consider. She _wasn't_ alone. Sapphire was with her. As her eyes flitted back to the small blue Gem, Rose hoped that Sapphire was thinking the same thing she was. She knew that the two of them had been on uncertain terms since arriving on Earth, and that Sapphire's future vision would be useless, given her direct involvement in events. If enough of their connection remained that they could guess each other's intentions though, Rose knew that they could find a way out of this; together.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Well, things are certainly coming to a head, aren't they? Unfortunately, you'll have to wait a while to find out what happens next. I'm going away on holiday  
for a while and likely won't be able to write, so the next chapter won't be until the 22nd at the very earliest. That said, I'll still be on the site, so feel free to leave a  
review telling me what you think of the story so far. I'll see you guys in the next chapter.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

**A few minutes earlier:**

Sapphire's head was spinning as she came to. As she slowly regained consciousness, she began to notice the distinctive low hum of Gem electronics coming from all around her. Her future vision wasn't functional; no doubt thrown into disarray by whatever unexpected event had put her in her current situation. She tried to move, and was rewarded with a sharp pain in her head. Gems lacked internal organs unless they chose to shapeshift them, but the effects of any damage still lingered. Judging by the nature of her current pain, she had rather recently sustained a blow to the back of the head. As the pain snapped her out of her grogginess, she was hit by a wave of panic. Where was she? Who had brought her here? What did they intend to do with her?

Sapphire tried to get to her feet, but found herself unable. Her arms had been shackled together in some manner, as had her legs, and the dense bundle of cables which surrounded her would probably have given her little room to move anyway. As her panic began to overtake her, the old visions of Rose began to resurface, assaulting her mind in sharp jabs. This time though, she mustered enough force of will to stamp them down. "Don't you dare" she thought to herself, unable to speak the sentiment out loud through the cables bound over her mouth. "I am _never_ going back to that moment again."

Eager to distract herself from her mounting feeling of dread, she willed herself to think. How had she come to get here? Had she been poofed? Unlikely; while an outside observer might confuse retreating into one's gem to be a form of unconsciousness, it felt rather different to how humans understood the term. Inside your own gem, you had some feeling of control; a necessary feature to allow a Gem to modify their form. Since Sapphire didn't remember picking out a new dress recently, and because it wouldn't have been possible for someone to bind her limbs had she been inside her gem, she felt confident that she had not been poofed. "Alright, then I was rendered unconscious through less…refined means" Sapphire deliberated. That wasn't exactly much comfort though, nor did it narrow down who might have been responsible.

The one piece of good news that Sapphire could tell herself regarding her current predicament was that it wasn't entirely unexpected. Sapphire had spent much of her recent life fighting, and even in her time on Earth since, she had been struggling with the memories of that trauma; always looking over her shoulder for the next attack. She almost wanted to laugh at herself for finally letting her guard down, and allowing herself to be put in her current situation. Still, the fact that she had been worried about such an eventuality meant that it wouldn't stay beyond the reach of her future vision for long. Even in the brief time she had been conscious, the first blurry view of her surroundings had started to form before her.

She couldn't make out much detail, but she could see the dull green glow of the metal which pushed against her on either side, as well as the vague outlines of the cables which snaked around in every direction. It wasn't much, but it was enough for her to deduce that she was within the walls or machinery of a Gem facility. Judging by the colour, it was one intended for use by Peridots, and the musty, earthy smell of the air told her it was likely situated in or beneath a kindergarten. As her vision continued to clear and she began looking around more, ignoring the shooting pain in the back of her head which accompanied any movement, she began to hear muffled voices coming from beyond one of the walls of green metal.

Sapphire pressed her head against the metal and attempted to listen. Gems didn't have 'ears' per se, but their sound sponges were in relatively the same place that humans kept their hearing organs, so it had the desired effect. While the sound was somewhat muffled, she could still make out what sounded like two people in the room beyond, and from the sounds of it, they were having quite a heated argument. The first voice, Sapphire didn't recognise, though its deep, gravelly nature suggested that it belonged to some sort of Quartz soldier. The second voice on the other hand, which seemed to be yelling in reply, Sapphire recognised instantly. She had heard that voice so many times, and while the sound of its shout still stirred up old fears within her, the underlying cadence was deeply comforting. Rose's voice. The realisation calmed Sapphire slightly. If Rose was here, then it was almost undoubtedly with the intention of helping Sapphire, and likely meant that the Crystal Gems were also on their way. Sapphire smiled as much as the cables between her teeth would allow her, slightly amused by her own reaction. Just when had she started seeing the Crystal Gems' presence as a comfort?

Her brief moment of happiness was interrupted though when a large, muscular, pink arm reached in through the cables in front of her and pulled them aside. It happened so quickly that she barely had time to think, but through the fog of her struggling future vision, she caught a brief glimpse of the Gem who now towered over her. It was another Rose Quartz; slightly darker skinned than the Rose Sapphire knew, and with a gem positioned on the back of her left hand. Sapphire recognised her instantly as Rose's former second-in-command from her days in Facet 31. In light of her present situation though, the fact that this Gem was a former ally offered Sapphire little comfort; the Quartz's intentions towards her were obviously less than friendly now.

Sapphire shuddered at the sight of the Gem towering over her, too fearful to even acknowledge the cold sensation as ice began to crystallise at the base of her dress. She willed herself to drag her vision away from her captor for a moment though, so that she could look over to the more familiar Quartz whom she knew would be standing just beyond. Her vision fell on the much more familiar Rose Quartz, who was standing, gobsmacked, just a few feet away. Rose seemed frozen in shock, her arms hanging by her sides, giving her a timid look that Sapphire had never seen from her before.

"S-Sapphire?" Rose mumbled with a fearful tremor in her voice. Despite knowing that her mouth was bound, Sapphire couldn't resist the impulse to call out in reply, managing only an indiscernible grunt through the cables. Upon hearing Sapphire's 'reply', Rose's demeanour shifted almost instantly. Her every muscle tensed, and she was once again the formidable, intimidating soldier that dominated Sapphire's every dream and nightmare. The Quartz's white-hot glare still chilled Sapphire to the bone, but, unlike that terrible day on the human zoo, that glare was not directed at Sapphire, but at her captor. As intimidating as her presence was, Sapphire couldn't help but feel slightly reassured. She knew Rose's fury first-hand. If her captor was about to be on the receiving end of it, then there was still a chance.

The two Rose Quartzes began conversing again, but Sapphire didn't notice much of what was actually being said. She was struggling with all her might to resist the flashes of memory that were threatening to surface from the depths of her mind. The powerful grip of her captor's large, muscular arm was chillingly familiar, and it was taking most of her effort to stay anchored in the moment. It was clear even to Sapphire though that the argument between the Quartzes was only escalating. Without warning, the captor summoned a sword and held the blade to Sapphire's throat. Despite her best efforts to put on a strong façade for Rose's sake, the small blue Gem let out a muffled yelp at the sight of the weapon. She felt utterly helpless as she felt the ice creep further up her body, unable to take any action against her assailant.

She knew that she should try to project her future vision further forward; try to give Rose some sort of tactical edge, but she couldn't bring herself to look any further than was required to maintain her own sight. The thought that she might witness her own shattering was too much to bear. Besides, on her restrained state, she likely wouldn't have been able to pass the information onto Rose anyway, and her altering of events would render the future vision pointless. From a detached standpoint, she knew all of this, but that didn't make the desire go away. She desperately wanted to be able to do something; anything, to prevent things from turning out the way they had before.

* * *

**Present:**

Steven watched through the transparent pane of the security bulkhead as Rose and 1NX stared each other down. The Crystal Gems were still smashing away at the barrier with as much strength as they could muster, but the wall of metal held fast. Even Garnet's strength wasn't enough, and the entryway was too small to allow them to form any larger fusions, so Steven had been reduced to the role of powerless onlooker; able to do little more than shout whatever words of encouragement he thought Rose might need to hear.

He stared down at the Diamond Line communicator in his hand, realising he had been squeezing it so tightly that it was beginning to buckle. It could only have been a few minutes since Garnet had barrelled out of her room into the beach house, gathered Steven and the others up, and told them that Rose needed their help urgently. Her urgency had made it clear that clarification would have to wait, but, given how panicked she clearly was, he had made the decision to bring the diamonds into the loop. He had run up to his room to grab the communicator while Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl were scrambling for the warp pad. The fact that Garnet didn't object let him know just how dire the situation she had foreseen must have been. Despite Steven's newfound fondness for his new relatives, that sentiment had, understandably, not passed to the Gems. Garnet in particular still clenched her fists at the mention of Blue's name, though she always remained polite in the monarch's presence for Steven's sake. If she was willing to accept the Diamonds' help now, she must have been deeply troubled by the future she had seen.

Now, seeing what was happening on the other side of the bulkhead, Steven realised that his instincts had been correct. Garnet had grown close to Sapphire in the brief time that the latter had been on Earth, and had taken a keen interest in her personal development. Sapphire was one of the very short list of people whom Garnet would accept the Diamonds' help to save. That help would take time to arrive though. The Galaxy Warp had yet to be fully repaired (another item that Steven added to his mental to-do list), meaning that any assistance from Homeworld would have to come via ship. Even at the speeds afforded to them by gravity drive, it would be some time before they reached Earth. Steven gave one last wistful look at the communicator in his hand, hoping that backup would arrive soon, before turning his eyes back to the scene in front of him.

As he helplessly watched on, he noticed a subtle difference from the last time he had looked. In the time he had been distracted, the tone in the room had changed. Where Sapphire had been trembling, completely lost in fear, she seemed to have somehow steadied herself; and while Rose had her back to him, Steven noticed the Quartz carrying herself slightly more calmly than before. Her hands were still balled into fists, ready to strike if necessary, but she was no longer shuddering with the barely contained anger that she had been before; and anger Steven had been on the receiving end of not too long ago. He wondered to himself what could have calmed her down; the situation was no less dire than it had been a moment ago, and yet it seemed as though Rose and Sapphire had come across some sort of shared resolve. As Steven looked on, he caught sight of Sapphire's face. Her Gem made it impossible to discern where she was looking, but Steven couldn't shake the feeling that she was locking eyes with Rose. Fresh worry crept into the back of his mind; just what were Rose and Sapphire planning to do?

He quickly received his answer.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Hey, I'm finally back! Sorry about how much longer than anticipated the break was; I just didn't have much motivation to write, and I knew that I'd just burn  
myself out if I tried to make myself do it. What with the delay, I guess I can wave goodbye to the idea of getting this fic done before the movie, but I suppose that might be a  
good thing. You've probably noticed some movie foreshadowing in the earlier chapters, and there's more planned for later. At least this way I can make sure that the  
foreshadowing actually lines up with what ends up happening. Anyway, thanks to everyone who left reviews while I was gone, and I'll see you all in the next chapter!


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Sapphire recognised the look in Rose's eyes. The fear that had been there previously was gone, replaced by a burning resolve. It was a clear message that said "let's do this together". Sapphire returned the expression as best she could, letting Rose know that she had every intention of answering her request. How exactly she was going to do so, she wasn't certain. She could do very little in her bound state, and her future vision would be rendered useless once she took an active role in altering events. As if those obstacles weren't enough, there was also the issue of the crippling fear still threatening to consume her. The blanket of ice still creeping up her dress was evidence enough of that.

Suddenly, an idea came to her. "That's it!" she thought to herself as a plan started to crystallise in her mind. She still had one tool at her disposal: her fear; and she was going to turn it against her captor. She just had to hope that Rose would notice what she was doing, and take it as a signal to move.

Sapphire dropped her mental barriers and allowed herself, for the first time since she had arrived on Earth, to truly focus on her fears. It pained her greatly to do so, but right now she needed the pain that came with them. She clenched her fists as her worst memories played back in her head, fighting to walk the line between supressing said memories, and allowing them to overwhelm her. Allowing herself a brief glance towards the floor, she saw that her idea was working. An almost invisible blanket of frost was creeping across the floor from the base of her dress, towards 1NX's legs. Sapphires had very little control over their natural ice powers; it was unclear why Homeworld had given such a power to their soothsayers at all; but Sapphire was more than grateful for its inclusion in her design now.

With one final mental push, Sapphire summoned as much ice as she could muster. Large crystals shot up from the frost at 1NX's feet, forming in an instant around the Quartz's legs. 1NX let out a yelp as she looked down at her trapped legs, momentarily caught off guard. Within a second though, she snapped her head round to face Sapphire. "What do you think you're doing?!" she snarled, looking ready to snap the smaller Gem in two, were it not for the fact that Sapphire was so necessary to her plan.

The momentary distraction was all that was needed though. With 1NX's attention on Sapphire, Rose made her move. Pushing off with one leg, she shot forwards with a speed that most would have though impossible for a Gem her size. She closed the distance between herself and 1NX in an instant, and delivered a punch to the other Quartz's face. The ice around 1NX's legs shattered as she was sent careening into the control centre's rear wall.

Sapphire, flung free of her captor's arm by Rose's initial attack, tumbled to the ground a couple of feet from her starting position. Her intervention in the battle had blinded her future vision completely, leaving her to fumble slowly to her feet in the blackness. As she stood up, she felt a large, powerful hand grab her arm once again. She reflexively tensed up, until she noticed that this new hand gripped more gently, taking care not to hurt her spindly limb as it led her along. "Rose?" Sapphire called out.

"It's me Sapphire" Rose's voice replied softly. "Don't worry; I'm here." Sapphire was stunned at just how much this relieved her. Rose led her over to the barrier separating the two of them from the Crystal Gems. Sapphire could still hear the muffled shouts of encouragement which Steven was doing his best to project through the bulkhead. That boy could really shout. With Sapphire in a position of relative safety, Rose turned her attention back to 1NX, who was angrily extricating herself from the dent she had made in the wall. "It's over 1NX; you don't have a hostage anymore, and you can't keep the Crystal Gems out forever. Let's just put an end to this!"

1NX looked as though she was about to explode. Shuddering with rage, she barely managed to spit back her retort. "Never! I won't go with them; not after what they did to us! If you cared about the other Rose Quartz, you'd be fighting too… but since you obviously don't, _I'll_ do it for you!" She charged at Rose like a bullet out of a gun, raising her sword to strike at her former ally. Rose was barely able to summon her sword in time to block her first slash.

Rose gritted her teeth as she and 1NX held each other's blades at bay. It was as she feared; 1NX was so consumed by anger that she wasn't thinking tactically. It didn't matter that the situation had become unwinnable, or that her plan had failed; she was willing to go down fighting, just as Rose had once been. Rose had had Steven to talk her out of her madness though, and the young hybrid was currently behind a large sheet of metal, in no position to give a speech. With that option off the table, Rose knew that she would have to solve things her way. Diplomacy wasn't her strong suit; she only knew how to do one thing: fight, and if it kept Sapphire safe, she was willing to do just that. Besides, if they were going to be fighting, Rose knew that she could use 1NX's current lack of focus to her advantage.

Rose pushed her sword upwards, raising her opponent's along with it, allowing her to land a powerful kick to 1NX's gut. The darker Quartz was launched backwards a few metres, but remained on her feet. Rose didn't give her a second of breathing room. She spun herself into a fiery pink pinwheel, rolling at 1NX with the force of a freight train. 1NX answered in kind, and soon the two wheels of fire were ricocheting off one another, as well as any walls they happened to make contact with. Sapphire pressed herself into a secluded corner of the room, her future vision having recovered enough to let her know that this would keep her out of the line of fire.

As Rose and 1NX spun towards the centre of the control room again, Rose aimed slightly higher, coming out of her spin directly above 1NX and sending a punch downwards, launching 1NX into the floor. Rose raised her sword above her head as she fell to meet 1NX, the tip aimed downwards, ready to poof her if she got the chance. 1NX recovered too quickly though, rolling out of the way as Rose impaled the sword into the floor just inches from where her target had just been.

Spinning to her feet, 1NX swung her sword at Rose's head, but Facet 31's former leader was too fast to fall to such a predictable attack. Rose ducked under the blade and brought her fist upwards, delivering a swift uppercut to 1NX's chin. 1NX let out a grunt and stumbled for a moment, giving Rose the opportunity to free her sword from the floor. By the time she was ready to attack again though, 1NX had recovered, and parried her next thrust. "I won't let you win!" 1NX panted between heavy breaths. "I won't let you throw away Facet 31's last chance at victory!"

Rose closed her eyes for a moment and let out a deep breath. Usually she wouldn't dream of taking her eyes off an opponent for that long, but she knew that she'd be able to hear 1NX's attack coming before they landed, so she allowed herself the brief release. Opening her eyes and directing a steely glare at her former ally, she replied coolly "we lost our last chance already. You can't keep trying to bring back the past. Trust me; I found that out the hard way."

"No. No!" 1NX spat back, shuddering in anger. "The Crystal Gems have got to you; they've corrupted you, like they corrupted the rest of Homeworld. Pink used us as a scapegoat for her rebellion! I _won't_ be used by anyone else!" As the words left her lips, she lunged forward again, her blade held high. Too high. 1NX was fighting more like a cornered animal than a trained Gem soldier now, and Rose could see it. She could even see the exact opening she could use to win. A stab of sorrow ran through her at what she was about to do, but a brief glance over to Sapphire cowering in the corner was enough to convince her not to hesitate.

As 1NX swung, Rose slid legs-first under the sword, before bringing her own blade up and slashing cleanly through 1NX's waist. Rose skidded to a stop a couple of feet beyond 1NX, finally allowing herself to pause for breath. She knew that she had won. 1NX had stopped dead in her tracks, a glowing line bisecting her form. Her sword clattered to the floor and dissipated as her hand went limp. "No…" she muttered, barely able to muster the volume to be audible. "We… we have to keep fi-" She was cut off as her form exploded in a puff of pink smoke, leaving behind only her gem, and the small green device she had been wearing on her wrist, both of which clattered unceremoniously to the floor.

Rose fought back the tears as she got to her feet. Yet again she had poofed someone she considered a friend. The one small comfort was that this time, she could at least tell herself that it had been for the right reasons, and that she hadn't had a choice. Rose stared at the gem which now lay inert on the floor. "She was my friend" she uttered solemnly, "but _her _Homeworld is gone, and it's never coming back."

Rose wandered solemnly over to 1NX's control device, which lay on the floor next to her gem, and picked it up. A few button presses later, and the bulkhead which had been keeping the Crystal Gems out retracted, allowing a very emotional Steven to sprint into the room and wrap Rose in a hug. Garnet had much the same reaction to Sapphire, scooping the small Gem off her feet and embracing her tightly. Sapphire was clearly slightly uncomfortable, but made an effort to smile and return the hug anyway. Once Steven had released Rose from his grip, Pearl and Amethyst joined him at her side, Pearl making sure to bubble 1NX's Gem before the Quartz could reform. Before she could send her to the temple though, Rose held up a hand, motioning for her to wait. She took the bubble from Pearl's hand, and allowed herself to stare sadly at the Gem within.

"You ok Rose?" Steven piped up. Rose sighed, her heart melting slightly as she looked down at the young boy who was so concerned for her wellbeing when he had no reason to be.

"I don't know Steven" she replied, surprising herself with her own honesty. "My friend; one of my _own kind_, someone who fought alongside me through everything, is in that bubble because of me. We Rose Quartz were given a chance at happiness when the Diamonds freed us at the start of Era 3, but I was so angry that I just wanted to fight, and I dragged some of the others down with me. Now, 1NX can't let go of the anger the way I could; anger she might not even be feeling if I hadn't stoked it up."

"That's just it Rose" Sapphire suddenly interjected, much to the surprise of everyone present, "_you _were able to let go of your anger. If you could do it, 1NX should have been able to as well. The fact that she couldn't is on her. You didn't make her do any of this."

Rose didn't entirely believe Sapphire's words, but the sheer fact that Sapphire was saying them at all was enough to bring an uncontrollable smile to the Quartz's face. After an experience as traumatic as what Sapphire had just been through, no-one would have judged the soothsayer for retreating back inside her own shell and staying there forever; yet here she was, offering encouragement to Rose. The Quartz felt her face grow hot from Sapphire's attention, and chose to change the subject until the two of them could talk more privately.

"Come on" Rose said to the gathered allies. "Let's get out of this place." There was so much she wanted to say, to more than one of the people stood before her, but that could wait. Right now, she just needed to walk.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Wow guys, was the movie amazing or what?! I figured it would renew my focus on this story, but it actually made it almost impossible to focus on writing  
anything that wasn't Spinel-centric. So that's the reason for the delay between this chapter and the last xD. Apologies for the wait. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll  
see you in the next one!


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

For a while, the group just walked in silence as they made their way out of the control facility, and wandered back through the kindergarten to the warp pad. Rose and Sapphire walked hand in hand; the large Quartz keeping a slow pace so that the smaller Gem didn't have to jog to keep up. Rose held the bubble containing 1NX's gem in her free hand, but was trying to keep her attention away from it. Luckily, it was a lot easier to keep her gaze on Sapphire.

The small blue Gem was visibly shaken, and seemed to be nursing a sore patch on the back of her head, but was otherwise unharmed. Rose would have been happy enough in that knowledge. What made the Quartz even giddier though, was Sapphire's willingness to hold her hand. Sapphire had to hold her arm fairly high to interlock her tiny, dainty fingers with Rose's, but she was not only making the effort; she actively seemed to want it. Rose felt none of the trembling that she had noticed the time she and Sapphire had held hands on the clifftop; nor the cold sensation of ice creeping up her fingers that would have indicated Sapphire's distress. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Sapphire's grip felt relaxed; comfortable.

Rose wasn't sure how long the group actually walked before reaching the warp pad. It couldn't have been more than a couple of minutes, but the imposing, suffocating aura of the kindergarten made it feel like longer. When she and the others finally reached the pad, and were carried away in a pillar of light, she let out a sigh of relief as she materialised in the welcoming surroundings of Steven's home. Amethyst instantly ran over to the couch and theatrically flopped onto it.

"Phew; I'm glad that's over. I'm beat!" said the small purple Quartz.

"We didn't even fight!" Pearl rebutted, shooting Amethyst an incredulous look that dissolved into a smile far too quickly for her admonishment to have any impact.

"Eh, like I've ever needed an excuse to nap" replied Amethyst with a shrug before closing her eyes and passing out, earning the tiniest grin from Pearl.

Rose was watching on with a smile too, though less because of the smaller Quartz's antics, and more at the sight of Amethyst and Pearl's relaxed and effortless rapport. Pink and Steven really _had_ made these Gems into a family. Rose had thought that she had had the same thing once with Facet 31, but that was never quite real; just a group of angry and impressionable Gems, spurred into action by her charisma. She hoped that one day, once she went back to Homeworld, she could make things right with the rest of Facet 31's former soldiers; remake their family the right way, with Sapphire at her side. Her eyes fell once again on the small, beautiful Gem who stood beside her, currently in conversation with Steven, who was presumably trying to give another of his unofficial therapy sessions.

Rose's attention was pulled away from the pair when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned slightly to see that the hand was Garnet's. The fusion was straight-faced, but somehow conveyed sympathy, even with her opaque visor obscuring her eyes.

"I can take that if you like" said Garnet, cocking her head slightly to gesture towards 1NX's bubble. "I saw you staring at it on the way back. If you need someone else to handle it, I can keep her in my temple room until we decide what to do with her." Rose considered the offer, but somehow, letting 1NX leave her side, even in bubbled state, didn't feel right.

"Thank you, but no" Rose answered. "I left 1NX alone in the aftermath of one battle, and the incident today was the result. As much as the Homeworld or Pink might have harmed us, _I _made Facet 31's Gems the way they are, _I _stirred up their anger. That means that I have to take responsibility for what happens to them. From now on, I'm going to stay by my allies' side. So… I'd like to keep her with me, if that's ok?" Rose shot Garnet an imploring glance as she made the request. Given the risk involved, and the fact that Rose had only recently stopped trying to attack Earth herself, she knew that the fusion would have every right to refuse.

As it stood though, she needn't have worried. Garnet considered for a moment, before quickly replying "That's fair enough. Back when it was _my _friends in bubbles, I didn't want to leave their side either. Just be careful, and don't let her out without consulting someone."

"Of course" replied Rose earnestly. As much as she hoped to iron things out with 1NX one day, she wasn't about to put anyone else in danger to do it. Garnet nodded silently and, seemingly satisfied by Rise's answer, moved off to talk with Pearl. Rose took the opportunity to leave the bubble in her temple room shortly after, giving it one last glance before heading back out to the others. Other than Amethyst, who was still asleep on the couch, the group had made their way out onto the beach, awaiting the imminent arrival of the Homeworld ships Steven had sent for during the crisis. The crews probably wouldn't be best pleased to find out they'd come all the way to Earth for nothing, but no-one was better at smoothing things over than Steven, so Rose was confident there wouldn't be much of an issue.

As she walked out onto the balcony, she surveyed the beach, and the figures occupying it. While she had formed a connection with everyone present, there was only one Gem on her mind. After only a moment's searching, she found Sapphire. The small blue Gem was sat a short distance away from where the Crystal Gems were standing. She saw sat with her back against the cliff face, looking up into the sky. Normally, Rose would have taken Sapphire's isolation as a sign that she wanted to be left alone, but after everything that had happened between the two of them over the past few days, she somehow doubted that that was the case now.

Rose made her way over to the spot where Sapphire was seated. The smaller Gem barely reacted to her approach; perhaps because she had foreseen it, or perhaps because she had simply known Rose long enough to be able predict her behaviour. Rose was unsure at first of what to say. It seemed ridiculous to consider making smalltalk just after emerging from a life threatening situation, but then again, perhaps the distraction would be welcome. She weighed potential ice-breakers in her head for what she hoped wasn't a conspicuously long time. Before she could speak though, Sapphire turned and smiled up at her.

"Would you like to sit with me Rose?" asked Sapphire. The cheerful tone of her voice alone was enough to bring a blush to Rose's face. Unable to find words that sounded at all dignified, Rose simply opted to nod, before taking a seat at Sapphire's side. For a while the pair sat in silence, looking out at the waves rippling against the shore. Sapphire would occasionally point out an oddly shaped cloud; a habit she had apparently picked up during her long nights spent looking up at the sky. Rose was tilting her head to try to see how Sapphire's latest pick even remotely resembled a giraffe when the smaller Gem suddenly spoke up.

"So…" Sapphire began; a slight nervousness in her tone "what are you going to do now?"

Rose whipped her head around to look at her. "What do you mean?" she asked, nonplussed by the rather broad question.

"Well… I heard what you were saying to Garnet before, about 'being there' for the other members of Facet 31" replied Sapphire, her gaze lowering slightly as though she suddenly found the sand at her feet very interesting. "I just… You're going back to Homeworld; aren't you?"

Rose hesitated slightly before answering. She had been planning on doing exactly that, yes; but somehow it felt harder to say now that Sapphire had asked directly. Now that the adrenaline rush of the battle was fading, and she was able to think more than a few moments ahead, Rose found herself feeling some doubts. Would Sapphire even _want_ to come back to Homeworld with her, after how horribly she had been treated there? She knew that she needed to give an answer either way, so she swallowed her fear and decided to just get on with it.

"Yes" she said, giving as earnest an expression as possible "I am. I know it's not…ideal, but it's just something that I have to do."

"Alright then" Sapphire replied calmly. "So when do we leave?"

"We?!" Rose blurted out in surprise. "You…actually want to come; after everything that happened to you on Homeworld?"

"Of course" said Sapphire, her formerly straight face fading into a slight smile. "I'll admit that Earth has been more…pleasant than Homeworld ever was, but I want to go wherever you're going."

Rose felt her face growing steadily hotter. "Why would you want that?" she asked in disbelief. "What if some of the other Facet 31 Gems react the way 1NX did; what if they try to hurt you. I-"

She cut herself off as Sapphire stood up in front of her. "Rose" Sapphire responded matter-of-factly, "I was attacked by 1NX _here_; on Earth. It's obvious I'm no safer here. Besides, as long as you're there, I know you'll keep me safe."

Rose was frankly stunned at the amount of faith that Sapphire was placing in her. She very much doubted that said faith was justified, but she certainly wasn't complaining. "I think you're being very generous to me there" she chuckled, utterly failing to hide her embarrassment. "You wouldn't have said any of this a couple of days ago."

"Well…" Sapphire replied "what happened with 1NX… made me see things a little differently."

"What do you mean?" asked Rose, wondering how such a traumatic experience could possible make someone _more _relaxed rather than less.

"Well, I suppose it helped me realise just how much you'd changed" said Sapphire, allowing her smile to widen. "Before, I knew you were trying, but sometimes part of me couldn't help but see you the way you'd been on the zoo; the way you were when you…you know." Rose didn't need her to continue that sentence; the phrase "when you poofed me" went unsaid.

"But seeing 1NX in person; seeing someone who actually _hadn't_ changed since then, made me realise just how different you've become" Sapphire continued. "1NX was so angry, so irrational; she didn't care what happened to her as long as she could hurt the people she had a problem with". Rose knew the feeling very well; even now the memories stirred discomfort in the pit of her stomach.

Sapphire noticed Rose's mood easily, and continued. "But _you _were nothing like that in the kindergarten today" said the soothsayer, cupping the Quartz's face with her hands and fixing her with a smile that made the Quartz turn a much darker shade of pink. Rose immediately noticed how warm Sapphire's hands were against her face. Like on the walk back, there was no trace of the anxiety-fuelled frost she had come to expect. "You were only concerned about keeping others safe" Sapphire went on "not just me, but 1NX too. You made sure she couldn't hurt me, but once she was beaten, you had a choice. You could have shattered her back there, but you didn't. You're not the Gem you used to be; you're so much better, and I'd follow you to the other end of the universe if you asked."

Rose seemed utterly lost for words in the face of such a declaration; sitting limply in Sapphire's arms with her face red and her mouth agape. Tears were forming at the corners of her eyes, but she made no effort to wipe them away. "S-Sapphire" she managed to mumble, before her small blue companion took the next step for her; leaning in and pulling her into a kiss.

Rose's eyes widened in a mix of ecstasy and shock, but she made no effort to pull away. Within a moment, she allowed her eyes to close as she relaxed into the kiss. Even while standing, Sapphire barely came up to head height on the seated Quartz, so it was a rather awkward affair, but that didn't matter to either of them. Sapphire allowed a small hum of contentment to escape her chest as she and Rose remained interlocked. She had discovered this form of intimacy by watching a human television program that one of Steven's Gem friends had insisted on showing her. She hadn't seen the appeal at the time, but she had thought it worth a try, and she was certainly glad she had. It provided all the intimacy of fusion, without the rather invasive experience of sharing one's mind with another. When she and Rose finally parted, the two regarded each other with prolonged stares of adoration. There was nothing else that needed saying; what had passed between them in that moment was wordless, and all the assurance they would ever need.

Their eyes were only pulled away from one another when the distinctive sound of ships dropping out of gravity drive rung out around them. They both looked up to the sky, expecting a sizeable detachment of Gem ships; Steven had requested reinforcements in somewhat of a panic after all. What they saw exceeded their expectations though. Leading the group of five Gem vessels was Yellow Diamond's personal arm ship. As Rose glanced over to where the Crystal Gems were stood, she noted that even Steven seemed surprised.

"Well" she said, standing up and preparing herself for the less-than-pleasant conversation that was likely to follow "I guess it's time to bring them up to speed."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Hey! I'm still alive! I'm so sorry it's been so long since the last chapter. Writer's block sucks. I knew exactly what I wanted to _happen_ this chapter; I just  
couldn't figure out how to _say_ it. Anyway, things are drawing to a close now. I'm probably going to wrap this thing up next chapter. Thanks for the patience. I'll see you then!


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Steven, Garnet, and Pearl stood on the beach, staring up at the Homeworld ships descending into a low hover in front of them. It was an impressive array of heavily armed ships, but Steven's attention was primarily on Yellow Diamond's arm ship. He had expected that Homeworld would send substantial backup, yes; but he hadn't counted on one of the Diamonds coming themselves, least of all Yellow, who was often near impossible to pry away from her work. On one hand, it was reassuring that they took his concerns so seriously; but on the other he couldn't help but feel that this response might have been a little disproportionate for a single Quartz soldier. Clearly 'acceptable levels of force' was another topic he was going to have to cover with the Diamonds. Actually, thinking about it, he had a _lot_ to help the Diamonds with; enough that it would probably keep him away from Earth for quite a while. The thought didn't exactly please him, but he knew when he had work to do.

"You're going with them" said Garnet flatly, snapping Steven out of his introspection. Pearl turned to look at Garnet, and then down at Steven, but said nothing. Garnet had spoken so matter-of-factly that her statement was clearly a report of her future vision rather than an enquiry. There was no sadness in her voice, but Steven knew her well enough to know she wasn't entirely happy. However, he also knew her well enough to know that she would respect his decision.

"Yeah" he replied "I am. I can't just keep fixing one Gem problem, coming right back home, and hoping everything works out. Something else always goes wrong; usually something that could have been avoided if the person behind it had just had someone to be there for them. The Diamonds are trying, but they're gonna make a lot of mistakes, and a lot of Homeworld Gems are still hurting. I need to be there for them." Garnet gave a single nod in reply; enough to let Steven know that his justification had been accepted. He knew Garnet would probably never warm to the Diamonds the way he had, but he was glad that she at least trusted him to look out for himself.

The exchange between the two was interrupted when Bismuth nearly walked into the back of them; too busy eyeing the Homeworld ships to fully watch where she was going. "Woah! Sorry you guys; didn't see you there" the blacksmith said jovially.

"Oh, hey Bismuth. What brings you out here?" asked Steven, though he could take a pretty good guess at the answer.

"A small fleet of Homeworld battleships is kinda hard to miss" Bismuth replied, confirming Steven's assumption. "I just came to check with you whose side they're on." Of Steven's immediate friends, Bismuth was the one who least trusted the Diamonds (aside perhaps from Lapis, who could count on one hand how many people she 'trusted'). Steven had to admit that he couldn't truthfully blame either of them; not everyone could be expected to forgive and forget the way he did, least of all people who had fought against Homeworld for thousands of years longer than he had.

"Don't worry; they're with us" Steven answered, holding up a hand. "I called them to help with a Facet 31 Gem who showed up earlier, but I think this many ships in kind of an overreaction; especially since it's all taken care of already."

Bismuth's brow rose slightly at the mention of 1NX's attack, but she showed no other sign of surprise. "Hmm, so another one of them kicked up some trouble huh? Is everyone alright?" she asked. As ever, her main concern was the safety of her comrades. Steven couldn't help but smile at that.

"Yeah, everyone's fine, but… it did get me thinking" replied Steven, deciding that, since his mind was made up, he might as well tell Bismuth as well. Besides; he was going to need her help with some of what he wanted to so. Garnet watched on silently, giving Steven a reassuring smile and a nudge of her visor that assured him that Bismuth wouldn't take the news any worse than she had. "I'm gonna need to spend some time on Homeworld for a while. Y'know, help the Diamonds out; make sure nothing goes wrong."

"Into the lions' den again huh?" Bismuth chuckled. "I'd tell you to think again, but I can tell you've made up your mind."

"Thanks Bismuth" Steven replied with a smile, grateful to her for not turning it into the argument it could easily have become.

"Oh! This gives me an idea!" Bismuth blurted out. "Since I'm gonna be upgrading your house anyway, how about I install a galaxy warp? That way you could come back and visit any time you want."

"I'd love that" Steven beamed, holding back the beginnings of tears. Wiping them away, he continued "Oh, and by the way, while we're talking about building; there's something else I need your help with."

"Oh?" enquired Bismuth, raising an eyebrow.

"We need somewhere for the uncorrupted Gems to call home." Steven said earnestly. "I know we can fit them all in the temple, but it just doesn't feel right. They shouldn't have to hide away because we're worried about how Earth might react to them. It's their planet too; they deserve the same type of home as anyone else."

"No argument there" replied Bismuth, her hand on her chin. "And I'm guessing that's where I come in?"

Steven nodded. "How would you feel about… building a village? Like a Homeworld away from Homeworld for any Gems who wanna live there?"

"I… sure. Why the heck not?!" Bismuth laughed. It was an enormous undertaking that Steven had just asked of her, but her mind was already buzzing with design plans at the mere thought of it. She began mumbling, as much to herself as to Steven. "It's a big job… Might take a year or two but… If I rope in Peridot and Lapis then we… yeah! I think we can do it!"

"I'll take that as a yes then" Steven chuckled, turning to Garnet and Pearl. Garnet beamed back at him with a smile that reflected his own. Pearl's smile was much smaller and more reserved, and was clearly being projected for Steven's benefit. She would of course support Steven in his decisions like any of the Crystal Gems would, but that didn't make the prospect of his prolonged absence any more attractive.

"Well, if you're heading off to Homeworld today, then I'd better make sure you've got some clothes and food packed. I'll contact Greg and Connie too so that they can come and see you off" Pearl said, effectively excusing herself. As she headed off towards the house, Steven watched her leave. He hated leaving them, even if it was only for a little while until Bismuth got the galaxy warp up and running, but he knew that his friends were in a much better position than who he was going to help next. They could manage on their own; some of the Gems on Homeworld couldn't.

His train of thought was interrupted when Yellow's arm ship completed its descent; slapping its palm into the ground with a loud thud. Steven had tried to encourage her to pilot the thing more gently, but 'gentle' was never Yellow's style. The ship's hand slowly rose again, revealing Yellow Diamond standing on the beach wearing an expression of controlled yet very apparent concern.

"Steven?" asked the towering Gem "What's the situation? Where's this rebel Gem you called about? Are you alright?!"

"Yellow! It's ok. I'm fine" Steven quickly replied, flashing a reassuring smile. As grateful as he was that Yellow was so willing to rush to his aid, he felt a pang of guilt at having made her worry. "Everything's under control now" he continued. "I'll fill you in on what happened."

* * *

Rose and Sapphire watched on from a distance as Steven spent the next few minutes explaining the day's events to Yellow Diamond. Yellow's glance would occasionally flit in their direction, but she never made any other indication that she noticed them before turning her attention back to Steven. Rose had expected the Diamond to be angry about having been called to Earth only to miss the fight, but if anything Yellow seemed apologetic, repeatedly lamenting to Steven about having endangered his life by letting a dangerous Gem slip through the net. Rose had been somewhat sceptical that even Steven could change the Diamonds as much as he had claimed to, but it certainly seemed that, at the very least, their affection for the boy was genuine.

Once Yellow seemed sufficiently convinced that the crisis had passed, and had agreed to stand down her ships, Steven retreated back into his house to help Pearl with the packing, Garnet and Bismuth following behind him. Rose and Sapphire were left alone on the beach, save for the imposing figure of the Diamond. Rose felt a twinge of anxiety at the sight of the towering Gem. She hadn't been in the same place as Yellow Diamond since the day the monarch had released her and her fellow Rose Quartz from their bubbles; the day Pink Diamond's lie was revealed to her, and her whole world had come crashing down. Showing weakness in front of a Diamond was the last thing Rose wanted though, so she stole a glance at Sapphire. The smaller Gem looked up at Rose with a reassuring smile and squeezed her hand gently. Wordlessly returning the smile, Rose released her hand and walked over to approach Yellow.

"Ah, Rose Quartz" the Diamond said far more casually than Rose had expected. "You're looking well; I see Earth has been treating you kindly." Rose tried her best to hide how stunned she was by Yellow's words. Was a Diamond attempting _smalltalk_?!

"_Steven and his friends_ have been treating me kindly" she replied with as little ice as she could manage. "Earth had little to do with it; though I'll admit it's a more pleasant planet than I realised back in Era 1."

"Yes, well…" Yellow replied awkwardly, showing a nervous expression that Rose had never seen in a Diamond before "I'm glad to see that you're unharmed after this latest attack." An awkward silence sat between the three Gems for a few moments, before Rose decided to speak up again.

"Yellow Diamond; I understand that after what I did, you may be nervous about my interacting with any Homeworld Gems, but would it be possible for me to-"

"We want you to come back!" Yellow blurted out tersely, cutting Rose off.

"I…w-what?" Rose stammered. "That's what _I_ was just about to ask _you_. I'd like to come back to try to make things right with the other Facet 31 Gems."

"Oh… well that's excellent" replied Yellow, attempting to collect herself. "Why don't you just follow me and we'll-"

"Woah woah woah, hold on" Rose interjected, holding up her hands. "First of all: I'd need to pack first. Second of all: why were you asking me to come back before you knew I was planning to? What's this about?" Talking back to a Diamond was both frightening and oddly invigorating, but Rose was more concerned with getting answers. The Diamonds had given her few reasons to trust them; the fact that Steven vouched for them being the only reason Rose was willing to make the gesture at all. If they had some ulterior motive in wanting her back on Homeworld, she was going to find out.

Yellow hesitated for a moment, composing herself and returning to her characteristically stoic expression. Once satisfied that she wasn't going to embarrass herself, she answered Rose's question. "I take it you're aware of Homeworld's current… military situation?"

"I'm aware that Steven wants Gemkind to reduce its military presence in space if that's what you mean" Rose answered.

"It's more than that" Yellow replied. "He wants me to disband my armies entirely; preferably within the next couple of years."

Despite her efforts, Rose's eyes widened slightly at the news. She knew Steven was a pacifist, but what Yellow had just told her seemed rather fast… and somewhat excessive.

Seeing Rose's surprise, Yellow seemed to gain a little confidence, and decided to continue. "I intend to honour his wishes of course, but _I_ am personally of the opinion that Homeworld should retain a sort of… defence force; to ensure that our newfound peace never comes back to bite us."

Rose was able to connect the dots in her head now. "Ah… and you want _me_ to lead this 'defence force', and presumably talk my old allies from Facet 31 into joining up."

"Well, essentially…yes" said Yellow, her bravado fading as quickly as it had appeared. "When you rebelled, you managed to amass an entire fleet right under our noses, and anticipate every move we made against you. You're clearly a tactical genius; the kind we need in order to keep Homeworld safe."

Rose didn't particularly enjoy being reminded of her past actions, but she had to concede that receiving such a complement from a Diamond was something that most other Gems would dream of. "And does Steven know about this plan of yours?"

"Well… no" Yellow conceded "but Steven had always been an idealist. It's served him well so far, but we need to have some sort of safety net in place should his pacifism ever fail. Just think of it" Yellow continued, gesturing at nothing with one arm. "You would have the chance to rebuild Facet 31 the right way; protect Homeworld like you wanted from the beginning."

"Rose, you don't have to do anything she says; not if you don't want to" said Sapphire, looking up at her companion with a serious but soft demeanour.

"I know Sapphire, but it's fine" Rose said softly in reply. Rose had no doubt that Yellow was romanticising the idea somewhat, but the offer was intriguing nonetheless. A great many of Facet 31's formers Gems were Quartz soldiers or Ruby guards. They had only ever known fighting. Providing them with a defence-oriented role in Era 3 might be better for them than expecting them to abandon their old skillsets completely. Having said that, there were a couple of things Rose knew she needed to make clear.

"It's a nice offer you're making, but let's get a couple of things straight." Rose replied to Yellow with as much authority as one could muster when conversing with a Diamond. "First off: my comrades come first. I'm not going to force any of them to join up, and if I need to take time off to help one of them, then whatever duties I have as part of your defence force will just have to wait. Secondly: the instant I get the sense that anything we're doing is something I would disapprove of, I'm out."

"Of course" said Yellow. "This wouldn't be the same as when you were part of Homeworld's army. You and your organisation would simply be keeping tabs on any potential threats, and keeping us informed."

Rose scratched her chin as she thought. "Sapphire?" she asked, turning to look down at her dainty companion "Are you ok with this?"

"I told you earlier that I would follow you anywhere." Sapphire replied with an earnest expression. "That answer hasn't changed."

"Thank you" Rose said in heartfelt reply. Turning back to the Diamond towering over her, she gave her answer. "Alright Yellow Diamond; I'll do it. But once we get back to Homeworld, I get to see to my comrades' wellbeing first."

"Very well" replied Yellow, crouching down and outstretching an open palm. At first, Rose thought the Diamond might have been going for a very impractical handshake, but once the gigantic Gem's hand drew close, she saw that it contained a tiny badge. It was cut from dark metal, and resembled the shape of Homeworld, rather than that of the Diamond authority's symbol. "Welcome back" Yellow said as Rose reached out and took the badge. "I'll see you on-board my arm ship once you have your affairs in order." Rose gave the Diamond a silent nod in reply, and the massive Gem walked off to re-join her fleet.

Connie and Greg arrived shortly after, meeting the Crystal Gems on the beach to see Steven off before he boarded his leg ship. Rose and Sapphire watched their goodbyes from a distance. Rose had mixed feelings about keeping her new project from Steven, but she was convinced that it was for the best. Steven could go around the galaxy on his mission of peace, and she would be there to protect said peace, without the worry of Homeworld's subterfuge tainting his heroic image. Steven boarded his ship as his friends and family waved on, and before long the giant pink pair of legs was hovering above the beach alongside Yellow's fleet, only waiting on Rose and Sapphire before they could break orbit.

"Well then" Rose uttered to Sapphire once the crowd of Crystal Gems had dispersed "I guess I should get packing. Do you have anything in the temple that you need to clear out?"

"No, nothing. I'll meet you back here in a little while" Sapphire said cheerfully. "There's one last thing I need to do before we leave." The small Gem turned to walk into town.

"Meet me back here? Where are you going?" Rose asked after her.

Sapphire turned and flashed a smile. "I've got a bakery I need to visit."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Aaaand that's our story. Thanks so much everyone who gave it a read; particularly those of you who have been here ever since 'Missing Peace'. It was nice to  
write this more character-driven epilogue for my two OC Gems. Rebecca Sugar hinted at a Q&A recently that Steven Universe Future will address what the bubbled Rose  
Quartz are up to these days, so this fic will likely not be canon-compliant for much longer, but oh well. I have other stories planned, but I don't know when I'll be doing them.  
I may wait until Steven Universe Future had started airing, so that I have some idea of the canon I want to stay in line with. Thanks again for reading. Please do let me know  
what you thought of the story. I'll see you guys around!


End file.
